KDE Plasma Leaning Towards Focusing On Flatpak Over AppImage/Snaps

[polarathene]

With AppImage, they can now distribute Krita to all Linux users, and users can just download one file and run the application.

Funny running into you on here The lack of using system theme with the Qt AppImage made for packaing the app we discussed on Github was not the best of experiences, would stick out like a sore thumb like that. I don't know what the other formats are like in that regard, or if it's just my inexperience with AppImage(or how that one was particularly pacakaged). Other than that it was pretty cool!

[probonopd]

polarathene, native-looking Qt theming for bundled applications is a complex topic I haven't fully investigated yet. This has more to do with the Qt architecture than with AppImage, since the latter really just is a self-mounting filesystem image that executes whatever payload you put inside. From my experience, Qt 5.8 greatly improves the native look&feel in Gtk+/GNOME/Ubuntu environments.

[js3915]

Is a bit dis-concerning snaps aren't being actively maintained outside of ubuntu distros. Snap hasnt been updated since November in arch not any longer included in fedora. Im sure one could get it though another type of repository but not being in the main repo or by default is a turn-off

Not to mention snaps are heavily reliable on apparmour which outside of ubuntu/suse isn't included for sandboxing. Flatpaks aren't reliant on that to do sandboxing.

Personally not a fan of the whole centralization of software. Rather goto the vendor and i know its coming from them not a third party site. With snaps you are reliant on ubuntu/canonical. With flatpak you are reliant on the actual vendor

[BwackNinja]

Do you know this for a fact or do you just blindly assume this? One goal of the KDE Frameworks (KF) as of late has been to split "KDE" into small pieces, so that applications don't have dependencies on a large set of libraries if they use only certain functionality.

Look at Krita: Most users are not "KDE users" or not even Linux users. In fact, their Windows version has by far the most downloads. With AppImage, they can now distribute Krita to all Linux users, and users can just download one file and run the application.

Similarly KDevelop, digiKam.

If you look at the download sizes, the AppImage is very comparable to the Mac and Windows versions.

The applications you mentioned were the same ones I was aware of and mentioned as "That said, some KDE applications are already packaged as AppImages." myself.

I'd also expect that if most of your users aren't KDE users, you'd likely use fewer KDE dependencies (or at least few larger dependencies) when building your application. Whether that's the direction that development went is beyond what I know.

I wasn't aware of KF splitting happening, but had assumed based on the creation of flatpak runtimes as well as a KDE runtime snap and their goals of containing core KDE libraries and services.

I wouldn't say the application sizes would be that relevant because they all have the same (or almost the same) dependencies regardless of platform.

Somewhat off-topic question: Any chance of supporting the portals that flatpak uses? All that's needed (for gtk applications at least [1]) is a file "flatpak-info" to exist in XDG_RUNTIME_DIR. This may be more of a firejail question though.

[1] https://github.com/GNOME/gtk/blob/5e...private.c#L271

[probonopd]

Personally not a fan of the whole centralization of software. Rather goto the vendor and i know its coming from them not a third party site. With snaps you are reliant on ubuntu/canonical. With flatpak you are reliant on the actual vendor

Check out AppImage. It has deliberately been designed with a de-central system in mind, without central "gatekeepers".

[probonopd]

I wasn't aware of KF splitting happening, but had assumed based on the creation of flatpak runtimes as well as a KDE runtime snap and their goals of containing core KDE libraries and services.

The change from there being "KDE" as a desktop environment with both the desktop and applications to the more modular "KF" was partly motivated by this, as well as the increasing availability of "KDE" applications for Windows and macOS. At least this is how I understand it.

Somewhat off-topic question: Any chance of supporting the portals that flatpak uses? All that's needed (for gtk applications at least [1]) is a file "flatpak-info" to exist in XDG_RUNTIME_DIR. This may be more of a firejail question though.

I was wondering about this too, https://github.com/flatpak/xdg-desktop-portal/issues/1.

[LinAGKar]

me who is telling nothing but the truth.

Except where you're claiming the Reddit post is available, even though it's removed, and then calling the person pointing it out a retard.

[arakan94]

I call out liars for what they are and when they claim that Snap was actually working across distributions (which is nothing but Canonical PR lies), I tell it how it is. Considering that you tolerate trolls all the time, it's amusing you are now targeting me who is telling nothing but the truth.




Really! http://imgur.com/KXYDCqG Considering that the post was downvoted by Ubuntu fanboys after I posted it here, it's obvious it was accessible before.

Since I already copied the post's contents here, everyone can verify my comments regarding Snap's cross-distribution claims.

"me who is telling nothing but the truth" - no you are NOT. Do you have access to medical reports that states those people have mental retardation? It's a real thing, not just figure of speech (same with idiocy) and you should know that.

It's good to point out false information (like with Snap) but do it in civil manner. By shouting and kicking around yourself like a kid, you only degrade value of your argument.