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These apps look very nice, I am happy to see this movement. But this is HN so ... allow me to go a bit off topic and complain. Why is is so freaking hard to in

by habosa 5y ago

These apps look very nice, I am happy to see this movement. But this is HN so ... allow me to go a bit off topic and complain. Why is is so freaking hard to install an app on Linux (Ubuntu)? There's nothing in the software center, and when I find an app I want I am just pointed to a .tar.gz or something. I want a file I can double-click and end up with a launchable icon representing that app in my dock later. I would also like to be able to update that app easily in the future. I have yet to have this experience with an app I wanted despite using Ubuntu for years. This is why I have given up and just started using Windows with WSL. Then I can have all the command-line tools I like and also a sane app installation experience.

kodah 5y ago
You might like Pop!_OS or Elementary's app store (they're the same.) It supports .deb and Flathub packages.
drekipus 5y ago
what's wrong with the ol' "sudo apt install foo" outdated packages are the problem of the distro, not of the tool. the whole reason I went from windows -> linux was because I could just type in what I want, rather than having to go looking around for dumb things on sites that no longer exist.
- habosa 5y ago
  That installs a binary tool I can run at the command line. Which is great for a lot of things. It's not great for a web browser or a calculator. I want an app. I want it to have an icon I can click on and a button to close it. I don't want logs in my terminal or zombie processes and I don't want to have to remember the name/path of a binary.
  - unknown2374 5y ago
    sudo apt-get install firefox ?
  - hprotagonist 5y ago
    sudo apt install firefox works just fine.
  - dj_mc_merlin 5y ago
    > That installs a binary tool I can run at the command line No, that install an application in general. You choose to run it from the command line. If you want to just turn your terminal into the application, `exec firefox`. Most window managers provide a way to run an application standalone via some shortcut. On i3 it is Win+D for example.
  - bmn__ 5y ago
    > > what's wrong with the ol' "sudo apt install foo" > That installs a binary tool I can run at the command line. […] It's not great for a web browser or a calculator. You're wrong about that. A package manager installs any type of software, the user interface of the software (command-line or GUI) is irrelevant. For example, chromium and kcalc: `apt install chromium kcalc` • https://packages.ubuntu.com/chromium https://packages.ubuntu.com/chromium # web browser • https://packages.ubuntu.com/kcalc https://packages.ubuntu.com/kcalc # calculator > I want an app. I want it to have an icon I can click on and a button to close it. You got it.
  - alpaca128 5y ago
    `apt` can install everything you can find in the graphical Software Center and more, and with the exact same results (like icons to click on). If it's not available in `apt` repositories there's a pretty good chance you can install it with flatpak, which does roughly the same but is distro-independent. Graphical non-free software like Skype is easy to install with flatpak and "just works" in my experience.
dj_mc_merlin 5y ago
tar -xzvf app.tar.gz cat app/README Then follow instructions, but usually just cp app/app /usr/local/bin or wherever your $PATH is. or: make make install If you're not willing to put in the effort to do this you should indeed probably not use Linux.
atrus 5y ago
What apps are you having to do this with? I've yet to have an app that I couldn't either get through apt or as an AppImage which definitely has that experience of double click and go when you have AppImageLauncher installed.
- habosa 5y ago
  AppImage does seem promising although I tried it the other day for Electrum (bitcoin wallet) and it was a mess. I was not able to double-click to launch and once I closed the app I was never able to launch it again. Maybe I'll give it another try?
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
pygar 5y ago
Do you know how to use apt? [0] It sounds like you're trying to install software the windows way (download from a website and run). Some software is distributed as source only, but it's super rare for anything remotely popular to not be packaged (although you might have to add a PPA). [0] https://help.ubuntu.com/community/AptGet/Howto https://help.ubuntu.com/community/AptGet/Howto
hashimotonomora 5y ago
sudo apt install
grey_earthling 5y ago
> Why is is so freaking hard to install an app on Linux (Ubuntu)? There's nothing in the software center If I may also be opinionated… :) IMO Ubuntu is not very good at curating their repo and presenting it in their Software centre. GNOME Software is designed to only show graphical desktop apps that include enough metadata. Ubuntu modifies their version of Software to also show non-graphical apps, (including anything packaged as a Snap). Fedora doesn't make this modification and as a result, Software has less stuff, but a greater wheat to chaff ratio. Fedora's repos are almost as full of stuff as Ubuntu's, and that's still available through the command line for those who want it; but the more-prominent user experience is less frustrating. Ubuntu is catering for IoT developers who want to use technical Snaps easily, which is fair enough, but not my use-case. Fedora is catering for a more general-purpose workstation OS, which is my use-case. > I want a file I can double-click and end up with a launchable icon representing that app in my dock later. I would also like to be able to update that app easily in the future. A .flatpakref file and GNOME Software does that. This works on pretty much every distro except Ubuntu :) because Ubuntu's modified version of Software doesn't include flatpak support. In Fedora, I can open a .flatpakref file, which opens Software showing the app's details; I click Install; I have a launcher in the app grid. Software updates the app automatically in the background (unless I switch that off in its preferences). I'm not saying that Ubuntu is bad here! I'm saying it's coffee; Fedora is tea; I prefer tea, and maybe you would too :)

by habosa 5y ago

kodah 5y ago

You might like Pop!_OS or Elementary's app store (they're the same.) It supports .deb and Flathub packages.

drekipus 5y ago

what's wrong with the ol' "sudo apt install foo" outdated packages are the problem of the distro, not of the tool. the whole reason I went from windows -> linux was because I could just type in what I want, rather than having to go looking around for dumb things on sites that no longer exist.

habosa 5y ago
That installs a binary tool I can run at the command line. Which is great for a lot of things. It's not great for a web browser or a calculator. I want an app. I want it to have an icon I can click on and a button to close it. I don't want logs in my terminal or zombie processes and I don't want to have to remember the name/path of a binary.
- unknown2374 5y ago
  sudo apt-get install firefox ?
- hprotagonist 5y ago
  sudo apt install firefox works just fine.
- dj_mc_merlin 5y ago
  > That installs a binary tool I can run at the command line No, that install an application in general. You choose to run it from the command line. If you want to just turn your terminal into the application, `exec firefox`. Most window managers provide a way to run an application standalone via some shortcut. On i3 it is Win+D for example.
- bmn__ 5y ago
  > > what's wrong with the ol' "sudo apt install foo" > That installs a binary tool I can run at the command line. […] It's not great for a web browser or a calculator. You're wrong about that. A package manager installs any type of software, the user interface of the software (command-line or GUI) is irrelevant. For example, chromium and kcalc: `apt install chromium kcalc` • https://packages.ubuntu.com/chromium https://packages.ubuntu.com/chromium # web browser • https://packages.ubuntu.com/kcalc https://packages.ubuntu.com/kcalc # calculator > I want an app. I want it to have an icon I can click on and a button to close it. You got it.
- alpaca128 5y ago
  `apt` can install everything you can find in the graphical Software Center and more, and with the exact same results (like icons to click on). If it's not available in `apt` repositories there's a pretty good chance you can install it with flatpak, which does roughly the same but is distro-independent. Graphical non-free software like Skype is easy to install with flatpak and "just works" in my experience.

dj_mc_merlin 5y ago

tar -xzvf app.tar.gz cat app/README Then follow instructions, but usually just cp app/app /usr/local/bin or wherever your $PATH is. or: make make install If you're not willing to put in the effort to do this you should indeed probably not use Linux.

atrus 5y ago

What apps are you having to do this with? I've yet to have an app that I couldn't either get through apt or as an AppImage which definitely has that experience of double click and go when you have AppImageLauncher installed.

habosa 5y ago
AppImage does seem promising although I tried it the other day for Electrum (bitcoin wallet) and it was a mess. I was not able to double-click to launch and once I closed the app I was never able to launch it again. Maybe I'll give it another try?

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

pygar 5y ago

Do you know how to use apt? [0] It sounds like you're trying to install software the windows way (download from a website and run). Some software is distributed as source only, but it's super rare for anything remotely popular to not be packaged (although you might have to add a PPA). [0] https://help.ubuntu.com/community/AptGet/Howto https://help.ubuntu.com/community/AptGet/Howto

hashimotonomora 5y ago

sudo apt install

grey_earthling 5y ago

> Why is is so freaking hard to install an app on Linux (Ubuntu)? There's nothing in the software center If I may also be opinionated… :) IMO Ubuntu is not very good at curating their repo and presenting it in their Software centre. GNOME Software is designed to only show graphical desktop apps that include enough metadata. Ubuntu modifies their version of Software to also show non-graphical apps, (including anything packaged as a Snap). Fedora doesn't make this modification and as a result, Software has less stuff, but a greater wheat to chaff ratio. Fedora's repos are almost as full of stuff as Ubuntu's, and that's still available through the command line for those who want it; but the more-prominent user experience is less frustrating. Ubuntu is catering for IoT developers who want to use technical Snaps easily, which is fair enough, but not my use-case. Fedora is catering for a more general-purpose workstation OS, which is my use-case. > I want a file I can double-click and end up with a launchable icon representing that app in my dock later. I would also like to be able to update that app easily in the future. A .flatpakref file and GNOME Software does that. This works on pretty much every distro except Ubuntu :) because Ubuntu's modified version of Software doesn't include flatpak support. In Fedora, I can open a .flatpakref file, which opens Software showing the app's details; I click Install; I have a launcher in the app grid. Software updates the app automatically in the background (unless I switch that off in its preferences). I'm not saying that Ubuntu is bad here! I'm saying it's coffee; Fedora is tea; I prefer tea, and maybe you would too :)