fink n : someone acting as an informer or decoy for the police [syn: snitch, snitcher, stoolpigeon, stoolie, sneak, sneaker, canary]

see Fink

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɪŋk

Noun

1. In the context of "mainly|US|slang": Someone who betrays a trust.

Verb

1. In the context of "mainly|US|slang": To betray a trust.

References

• Dictionary.com
• "fink" in Encarta® World English Dictionary [North American Edition] © & (P)2007 Microsoft Corporation. Lists 3 noun and 2 verb senses, all of which are characterized as dated.
• "fink" in Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press 2007.
• "fink" in Compact Oxford English Dictionary, © Oxford University Press, 2007.
• Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., 1989.
• Random House Webster's Unabridged Electronic Dictionary, 1987-1996.

|caption=Screenshot of Fink running in Terminal |website= finkproject.org |genre=Package Management |license=GNU General Public License |latest release version=binary distribution 0.8.1 |latest release date=June 15, 2006 |latest preview version=source distribution 0.28.1 |latest preview date=March 3, 2008 |operating system = Mac OS X |status=Active |programming language=Perl }}

In computing, the Fink project is an effort to port Unix programs to Mac OS X. Fink uses dpkg and APT (Debian's package management system), as well as its own frontend program, fink (which is implemented as a set of Perl modules).

Implementation

Fink features a binary distribution for quick and easy installation, as well as a source distribution for users preferring more flexibility. In addition to command-line tools for handling packages, FinkCommander provides a GUI. The user can configure Fink to utilize the stable or unstable tree for packages. The unstable tree typically has newer releases, but has not stood the test of time.

Fink stores all its data in a hierarchy rooted at its own directory, "/sw" by default, rather than as part of the base system or under "/usr/local" as specified in the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard. In most cases, to remove fink all that is required is the deletion of the "/sw" directory. This directory organization greatly simplifies troubleshooting, increases reliability for systems with many packages installed, and reduces conflicts with other package system including the default Mac OS X installed packages. Fink can be used to install newer versions of packages installed by Mac OS X or to install packages not included in Mac OS X.

History

The Fink project was started in December 2000 by German hacker Christoph Pfisterer. The name "Fink" is German for finch and is related to the Darwin operating system (that lies at the core of Mac OS X), through Charles Darwin's study of diversity among finches. Christoph Pfisterer left the project out of frustration in November of 2001 since then several people have stepped in and picked up support for Fink and as of March 2008, the project is managed by 6 administrators, 89 developers, and a very active community. The Fink community released support for Mac OS X v10.4 on 18 Feb. 2006 and for Mac OS X Leopard on 26 October 2007, the same day Apple released Leopard.

See also

• MacPorts (formerly called DarwinPorts)
• Gentoo/Alt
• Pkgsrc

References

External links

• Fink project homepage

bear witness against, betray, betrayer, blab, blabber, blabberer, blabbermouth, blackleg, blow the whistle, canary, delator, inform against, inform on, informer, narc, nark, peach, peacher, rat, scab, sell out, snitch, snitch on, snitcher, spy, squeal, squealer, stool, stool pigeon, stoolie, strikebreaker, talebearer, tattle, tattler, tattletale, tell on, telltale, testify against, tipster, turn informer, whistle-blower