Lintian is a helper tool used in conjunction with dpkg

Dpkg

dpkg is the software at the base of the Debian package management system. dpkg is used to install, remove, and provide information about .deb packages....

, the Debian

Debian

Debian is a computer operating system composed of software packages released as free and open source software primarily under the GNU General Public License along with other free software licenses. Debian GNU/Linux, which includes the GNU OS tools and Linux kernel, is a popular and influential...

 package management system

Package management system

In software, a package management system, also called package manager, is a collection of software tools to automate the process of installing, upgrading, configuring, and removing software packages for a computer's operating system in a consistent manner...

. It checks Debian software packages

Software package (installation)

In package management systems, which are commonly used with Linux-based operating systems, a package is a specific piece of software which the system can install and uninstall....

 for common inconsistencies and errors. As of 3/5/2010, the latest version complies to Debian standards version 3.8.3. A Lintian check file is often required before a package is uploaded to a distribution's core repository.

Linda was another application that was intended to overcome many difficulties with lintian. It was written in Python

Python (programming language)

Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Python claims to "[combine] remarkable power with very clear syntax", and its standard library is large and comprehensive...

 and was faster than current versions of Lintian. However, Lintian was better known and underwent many fixes to overcome past difficulties.

See also

• dpkg
  Dpkg
  dpkg is the software at the base of the Debian package management system. dpkg is used to install, remove, and provide information about .deb packages....
  
  
• deb (file format)
  Deb (file format)
  deb is the extension of the Debian software package format and the most often used name for such binary packages. Like the "Deb" part of the term Debian, it originates from the name of Debra, erstwhile girlfriend and now ex-wife of Debian's founder Ian Murdock.Debian packages are also used in...
  
  
• Debian build toolchain
  Debian build toolchain
  The Debian build toolchain is a collection of software utilities used to create Debian source packages and Debian binary packages from upstream source tarballs....
  
  
• lint, the original C language source code analysis program (Lintian is not based on lint source code)