Linux distribution as a flatpak

legacychimera247 commented 6 years ago

snap is great but here in fedora we have flatpak...it would be nice to have flatpak too, other than rpm's...

maniadevice commented 5 years ago

Love Mailspring and with so many distros providing first class support for Flathub/Flatpak, it'll be a shame if Mailspring did not make it in there. Linux Mint (my current distro) has no plans for official snap integration and is throwing it's weight on Flatpaks. Please consider making a Flatpak! Many thanks.

aiamuzz commented 5 years ago

Would you guys be interested in a community-maintained Flatpak? I'll be happy to work on this myself, though I can't seem to find where the .deb files are hosted...

@refi64 ... isnt' it time for mailspring to support a flatpak version ...

i speak out of experience ... I have installed and reinstalled my linux system so many times(along with multiple installation in a multiboot OS for testing purposes ... but i have installed flatpak applications only one time(on a separate partition dedicated to flatpaks) ... and i have been able to run them after each and every fresh install as well as from all my additional installations(2 more) without issues ...

i guess flatpak deserves recognition for this aspect of installing-only-once and not just distributing-only-one-version ... look forward to you reopening the flatpak-PR soon .

Cheers.

sramkrishna commented 5 years ago

The best reason to have either snaps or flatpak is to be able to get metrics on how widely distributed mailspring is on the Linux platform.

aiamuzz commented 5 years ago

The best reason to have either snaps or flatpak is to be able to get metrics on how widely distributed mailspring is on the Linux platform.

@sramkrishna ... its still a long way from giving metrics that are realistic and that can be truly considered ...

Currently be it snaps/flatpaks/appimages, all these technologies are being used only by a few tech savvy users of the linux world ... the metrics will be revealing and realistic is only when an average / noob linux user adopts these forms of app delivery ... And this will truly be possible only when a linux distro/flavor agnostic app-stores become the norm and accessible to average/noob linux users.

mmstick commented 5 years ago

@aiamuzz Most of our users on Pop!_OS are using flatpaks. The same is true for elementary OS, as well. The elementary appcenter, used on both Pop!_OS and elementary OS, supports Flatpak. GNOME Software and KDE Discover also support Flatpak.

aiamuzz commented 5 years ago

@aiamuzz Most of our users on Pop!_OS are using flatpaks. The same is true for elementary OS, as well. The elementary appcenter, used on both Pop!_OS and elementary OS, supports Flatpak. GNOME Software and KDE Discover also support Flatpak.

true ... the new linux distro's are working towards supporting flatpak apps in their native app stores ... even my DeepinOS team had it ... but recently they have dropped flatpak support from their app stores for lack of resources ... as they are running thin on manpower.

Still the number of linux users introduced to flatpak through these newer distros is good but not substantial enough ... its adoption will improve exponentially only if there is a single(central) flatpak exclusive app store ... say a full fledged flathub app store(not just the website which lists the commands to install(rather than a one click install) model(even snaps has been hosting a website with the command and not a one-click model) ... but i guess flatpak/flathub team too is spread thin to be able to develop and maintain a complete(with on click install/uninstall/update) and exclusive flatpak store !!!

until such time flatpak will have to spread through fragmented stores supported by individual OSe's ... another flip side of a distro maintained flatpak stores is that it may have a different way of packaging and delivering flatpak apps (at least DeepinOS had a completely different way of doing it ... nothing like how flathub serves/delivers apps) ... i don't know how elementary and pop Oses have been serving flatpak apps in their stores ... if by chance they are doing it exactly the same way flathub is doing then that will be a good thing ...

sramkrishna commented 5 years ago

That's exactly why we have https://linuxappsummit.org/ - to organize and create a measurable market. Something I hope the mindspring folks and community members will show up for. Collaboration is the name of the game.

kallisti5 commented 5 years ago

Pretty much all Gnome-based distros offer native flatpak support in the gnome software center.

mmstick commented 5 years ago

@aiamuzz There is bauh as an option that is not tied to a specific application store. It supports both Snap and Flatpak. The discussion is happening on the Manjaro forums.

aiamuzz commented 5 years ago

That's exactly why we have https://linuxappsummit.org/ - to organize and create a measurable market. Something I hope the mindspring folks and community members will show up for. Collaboration is the name of the game.

@sramkrishna ... hey that's great ... didn't know such an initiative was on ...

Pretty much all Gnome-based distros offer native flatpak support in the gnome software center.

@kallisti5 ... i agree there is distro specific support in app stores ... Gnome, PopOS, ElementaryOS ... DeepinOS until a while back ... but that will still be a fragmented approach ... what a noob/average linux user needs is an exclusive store that will cater too these technologies(flatpak/appimage/snap) ... that will be THAT ONE BIG step in the right direction that will enable users to embrace these distro agnostic technologies irrespective of their linux expertise ... a case in point are Android Play Store & Apple App Store ... hell forget about expertise in anything ... 3-4 year kids have taken to these app stores like a fish takes to water ... in fact the click and install/update/uninstall model and the singularity of it is so effective that i know of kids who are as young as 4-5 years are so adept at installing their games playing it ... and uninstalling it when their devices are returned to their parents / elders. ... that is what is needed to improve and further the use of these app sandboxing technologies.

@aiamuzz There is bauh as an option that is not tied to a specific application store. It supports both Snap and Flatpak. The discussion is happening on the Manjaro forums.

@mmstick ... bauh is the kind of initiative that i have been referring to all this while ... if this project takes off then ... that'll turn out to be real boon for these techs to be assimilated faster and effectively ... sadly i see only one user as the contributor on this project ... i guess this needs to change ... @sramkrishna ... i guess your reference 'the Linux App Summit' should adopt this 'Bauh' project instantly and take it forward ... as it aligns with their purpose and principle perfectly !!!

aiamuzz commented 5 years ago

@refi64 ... any possibility of reviving this ... https://github.com/flathub/flathub/pull/592

kostadinnm commented 4 years ago

I'd also like having mailspring as flatpak package. I wish it doesn't carry the blurry fonts on regular screens that electron(chromium) "enceeds" it with, but that's just my dreams....

aia832003 commented 4 years ago

Hey—thanks for filing this! We're not planning on providing a flatpak because Snaps achieve a similar goal but also provide a single autoupdate mechanism for all Linux distros (which is crazy nice compared to having users download it over and over every time it's updated.) Is there a reason you can't install the snap version? The plan was actually to stop publishing .deb and .rpm releases soon. … On Nov 16 2017, at 3:54 pm, legacychimera247 @.***> wrote: snap is great but here in fedora we have flatpak...it would be nice to have flatpak too, other than rpm's... — You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub (#345), or mute the thread (https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AA_TnBfqTfqYNZsz1hGM4_SVE84N4Gcwks5s3EywgaJpZM4QgnIY).

I'd love to see this revisited. Distros with larger userbases are starting to lean towards the Flatpak ecosystem as the universal option. Pop_OS!, Elementary, and Intel's Clear project are all backing Flatpak.

There's also a movement to see devs getting compensated for their time and effort towards Flatpaks from Elementary OS.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/appcenter-for-everyone/x/332362?utm_campaign=contribution_receipt&utm_content=receipt-campaign_link&utm_medium=email&utm_source=lifecycle#/updates/all

BuggStream commented 4 years ago

What is the exact status on this? Is there a specific reason for not providing flatpak support, besides the argument that snap provides the same functionality? Do the official mailspring devs have to support the flatpak, or is it possible that some third-party will handle flatpak support?

Currently I use a decent amount of flatpaks on Fedora and not a single snap app. Ignoring the pros/cons of flatpaks and snaps, I would still prefer a mailspring flatpak (With this I do not mean that the snap should be discontinued). Since if I were to use a snap, I would have another way of installing applications, besides the two methods I already have to use (rpms and flatpaks).

BuggStream commented 4 years ago

What is the exact status on this? Is there a specific reason for not providing flatpak support, besides the argument that snap provides the same functionality? Do the official mailspring devs have to support the flatpak, or is it possible that some third-party will handle flatpak support?

Currently I use a decent amount of flatpaks on Fedora and not a single snap app. Ignoring the pros/cons of flatpaks and snaps, I would still prefer a mailspring flatpak (With this I do not mean that the snap should be discontinued). Since if I were to use a snap, I would have another way of installing applications, besides the two methods I already have to use (rpms and flatpaks).

Since there has not been a reply yet, I thought I would tag @bengotow. Forgive me if this is not the right way to bring this issue to light.

Ads20000 commented 4 years ago

Do the official mailspring devs have to support the flatpak, or is it possible that some third-party will handle flatpak support?

The answer I believe is that literally anyone could learn how to make a Flatpak and make a Flatpak of Mailspring so go ahead, get it onto Flathub, do the work yourself since the developer doesn't seem willing :)

maniadevice commented 4 years ago

I think I'm gonna cry at the state of this issue :smile:

But on a serious note, would a small crowdfund encourage Mailspring to consider this. I can understand that this may not be something that's in their pipeline and hence a crowdfund could possibly be an option? Maybe people can react to this comment to see if there would be people interested to throw in some $ at this.

aia832003 commented 4 years ago

@maniadevice I'd contribute to this for sure

bigc0127 commented 4 years ago

I think I'm gonna cry at the state of this issue 😄

But on a serious note, would a small crowdfund encourage Mailspring to consider this. I can understand that this may not be something that's in their pipeline and hence a crowdfund could possibly be an option? Maybe people can react to this comment to see if there would be people interested to throw in some $ at this.

I would also support this.... Flatpak runs on Gentoo and snap doesn't without systemd and I'm not installing systemd.... So

e3b0c442 commented 4 years ago

As someone who used snaps religiously in Ubuntu until the update mechanism seriously broke my workflow, and who has contributed a fix for the snap package to this project, I would like to add to the call for a Flatpak distribution. Canonical is standing increasingly isolated in their support of snaps, and the issues with snaps and Canonical's complete control of the ecosystem are becoming more and more apparent.

The other big players seem to be coalescing around Flatpak as the portable solution, and I'll add my name to the list of willing contributors here. This project is too amazing to be constrained to snaps and distribution-specific packages.

JAZ-013 commented 3 years ago

+1 for Flatpak. Please. Running Pop!_OS which based on Ubuntu but uses Flatpak. As a regular user it just works waaaay better than snap. I mostly like not having hundreds of virtual drives for all my apps. Flatpak support would be appreciated. :)

simonv3 commented 3 years ago

I don't really have the time to lead this, but I'd be happy to support it if someone took this how-to and did it for Mailspring:

https://opensource.com/article/19/10/how-build-flatpak-packaging

Ads20000 commented 3 years ago

Yes. Basically anyone can make a Mailspring Flatpak, so why hasn't someone made one yet given how passionate people are about this? No-one has the time? But perhaps Mailspring's developer doesn't either?!

kallisti5 commented 3 years ago

No-one has the time? But perhaps Mailspring's developer doesn't either?!

I'd argue that any application which accepts usernames and passwords shouldn't be community packaged. People are generally good, but this is how you get smart compromised individuals phishing credentials.

kaulex99 commented 3 years ago

Issue open since 2017 now we are in 2020. I mean there are already distros which don't have snap like Pop!_OS and I don't want to install snap too so flatpak would be great to use.

simonv3 commented 3 years ago

@kallisti5 I mean, that's kind of the whole point of open source isn't it? And keep in mind that the core of Mailspring isn't open source.

foundry376-bot commented 3 years ago

This issue has been mentioned on Mailspring Community. There might be relevant details there:

https://community.getmailspring.com/t/flatpak-distribution-on-linux/68/1

CodeMouse92 commented 3 years ago

Hey all,

We are once again seriously considering Flatpak, especially as the packaging front becomes more stable. I may be helping with this in the near future.

We are in the process of migrating issues to Discourse, which can better facilitate discussion and discovery, and so GitHub Issues can focus on issues that are confirmed and slated for resolution in the near term. Learn more about the changes here.

As part of this, we've migrated this issue to Discourse:

https://community.getmailspring.com/t/flatpak-distribution-on-linux/68

Please consider joining that community and continuing the discussion there!

We're closing and locking the issue here as part of this migration. Rest assured, this doesn't mean the issue is being discarded or ignored.

We hope to see you on Discourse soon!

-The Mailspring Team

Foundry376 / Mailspring

Linux distribution as a flatpak #345