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flatpak / flatpak.github.io

Flatpak website
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Ubuntu install instructions are confusing #566

Open gclayburg opened 1 year ago

gclayburg commented 1 year ago

I am reading through this page: https://flatpak.org/setup/Ubuntu

Step 2 says:

The Flatpak plugin for the Software app makes it possible to install apps without needing the command line. To install, run:

   sudo apt install gnome-software-plugin-flatpak

Note: the Software app is distributed as a Snap since Ubuntu 20.04 and does not support graphical installation of Flatpak apps. Installing the Flatpak plugin will also install a deb version of Software and result in two Software apps being installed at the same time.

==================== This is confusing to me.

  1. What is "the Software app"? Is this rather generic name a flatpak thing? Or a Ubuntu thing? Something else?
  2. Is this step required or optional?
  3. If I run Ubuntu 20.04, would anyone want this if it does not support graphical installation of Flatpak apps?
  4. There is a lot packed into the last Note. What does "two Software apps" mean? Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Is there some sort of conflict here between Snap and flatpak and Ubuntu? Does this install step work around a limitation of a stock Ubuntu install?

Maybe this install step should have a link to a longer blog/article that explains this step in much greater detail?

AsciiWolf commented 1 year ago

It is GNOME Software. Sadly, Ubuntu has its own fork that is distributed as a Snap and does not have Flatpak support. Two Software apps are definitely a bad thing and from my experience, there sadly were some conflicts and other bad behavior, but it is the best possible solution that Ubuntu currently offers since Canonical is not interested in supporting Flatpak officially.

gclayburg commented 1 year ago

Ok, that makes sense. It seems a little sad that in order to install some new software on the desktop, we are forced to become an expert in several packaging formats. First we had .deb but now there is Snap and Flatpak, which react in weird ways with Gnome. Fun. Its too bad there isn't one universal format that all developers of desktop software could focus on.

I'm running Ubuntu 20.04 on the desktop. What I'd like to see is a more detailed guide on what to expect for a user like me that is looking at using flatpak. What tradeoffs need to be considered? What am I going to run into down the road? More RAM use? More disk space used? Are shared libraries no longer shared? Something else?

I do appreciate the desire to have a concise quick setup guide. It's a quick read and fits on one page. I just think it would help others to also have a link for a more detailed guide on what to expect when using this on Ubuntu.