Remember when I said Microsoft has an Open Source strategy? Well, this could fit right in. Except it isn’t from Microsoft.
The Chocolatey Project is an independent effort of porting the package managers we all love and use in Linux (yum/apt), to the Windows platform. But not just a port, a proper rewrite designed for Windows.
Chocolatey is a package manager for Windows (like apt-get or yum but for Windows). It was designed to be a decentralized framework for quickly installing applications and tools that you need. It is built on the NuGet infrastructure currently using PowerShell as its focus for delivering packages from the distros to your door, err computer.
To kickstart their efforts, that have been ongoing for several years now, they’ve started a Kickstarter campaign to help fund infrastructure and development.
As a heavy Puppet user, I’m glad to see the Windows side getting more love like this. It makes automating installs and configurations on the Windows platform a lot easier and more manageable! If you’re a Puppet user, check out the puppet-chocolatey package provider, so you can use the Package resource with the provider => 'chocolatey' option.