knsrc for AppImage

[probonopd]

If we put

[KNewStuff3]
Name=AppImage
Categories=233
InstallPath=bin

ProvidersUrl=https://www.linux-appimages.org/ocs/providers.xml
InstallationCommand=chmod a+x %f

into /etc/xdg/org.linux-appimages.knsrc, then on neon-useredition-20170504-1018-amd64.iso we get in Discover: Software Addone -> AppImage -> ...

Open issues

• we possibly want fancier tooling for installing --> TODO for AppImageKit. Deliver a library or CLI/GUI tool, possibly in the appimaged package
• gpg signing is not taken into account --> Could be handled by the above
• ocs lists everything, not just appimages --> TODO for the Discover client? Or for the OCS server?
• see last point, needs to have all categories listed --> Categories=233 seems to do that
• AppImages should show up under "Applications" rather than "Application addons", and be sorted into the usual categories. Maybe if the same application is available in multiple formats (distribution, AppImage stable, AppImage nightly, Flatpak, Snap) then the different installation sources and "channels" (stable, nightly,...) should be selectable from the "product detail page".

[probonopd]

https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=TSslZ6hOMoA shows the remaining backend and client issues to be solved. Maybe @aleixpol @rvs75 @star-buck can help.

[aleixpol]

we possibly want fancier tooling for installing --> TODO for AppImageKit. Deliver a library or CLI/GUI tool, possibly in the appimaged package

@leinir is planning to work on it, AFAIK. The idea was to come up with some tooling that would get

gpg signing is not taken into account --> Could be handled by the above

The plan now was to include checksum in the distribution layer, i.e. OCS. It can of course be integrated in appimage though.

ocs lists everything, not just appimages --> TODO for the Discover client? Or for the OCS server?

That's a bug in store.kde.org server that needs sorting.

see last point, needs to have all categories listed --> Categories=233 seems to do that

How did you get to the number?

[probonopd]

How did you get to the number?

Poked around a bit in the APIs, don't remember how exactly.

@leinir is planning to work on it, AFAIK.

Very cool! 👍

The plan now was to include checksum in the distribution layer, i.e. OCS. It can of course be integrated in appimage though.

AppImages may contain an embedded signature. Depending on this signature, we may show a warning and/or run the AppImage with different levels of trust, e.g., run in a more confined security framework (e.g., AppArmor) if the signature is not trusted.

[leinir]

Just thought i'd confirm here that yup, i am indeed working on a cli tool to install bundled apps (with optional GUI feedback and whatnot)

[probonopd]

a cli tool to install bundled app

Cool! Just keep in mind that AppImages don't need (nor should) be "installed"; downloading them and putting them into one of the directories watched by appimaged should already do the trick! "Uninstallation" is also just deleting the one file. appimaged will do the rest.

[probonopd]

Is this still being worked on @leinir?

[leinir]

Sorry, yes it is, just sort of got sidetracked for a while there... As an update, though, we do now have the ability to filter things in the OCS layer of Discover (and other KNS based clients), so we are able to finally implement the functionality which means you only see e.g. AppImages suitable for your architecture (which was previously not possible).

[probonopd]

Thanks for the update. Sounds great @leinir. Please let me know once this functionality has landed in KDE neon devedition unstable, and how to use it. Thank you.