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Does Pop OS use snaps as aggressively as Ubuntu?

by ProAm 4y ago

dublinben 4y ago
No, they've gone with flatpak instead. It's one of the better reasons to use it, if you were considering Ubuntu.
- JohnFen 4y ago
  Wait, by that do you mean that you can't avoid using flatpaks?
  - mfragin 4y ago
    In the Pop!_Shop you can often find both the deb version or the flatpak, so you can avoid them quite easily. For things that only appear with a flatpak option you can usually find other ways to install, after a little searching on the web. It's very clear in the Pop!_Shop whether it's a flatpak or not, which is nice ....
    - tehbeard 4y ago
      I.... would disagree. I have often seen multiple entries in the pop shop for things like kodi or vlc, and it can be a crap shot on if it works or not. sometimes there's a dropdown but often it's two entries in the search results with similar descriptions and no indication of installation method. Other than that, best desktop linux experience so far for me.
      - mfragin 4y ago
        I stand corrected! Thanks for posting, as I had a limited experience and was happy that most of my applications fell into the first category below: I just tested it out and some applications like GIMP and INKSCAPE appear as a result and when you click on it, it has a drop-down in which you can choose between the flatpak and deb version. Unfortunately the flatpak is the default choice, so many people would probably never even know about the alternative choice. Other applications a clearly different, and it's not clear what you are getting. Like VLC. Then you have some like BATTLE FOR WESNOTH that shows two results. One of the two (if you activate it) has the drop-down, but both choices are flatpaks. The other result is apparently NOT a flatpak, but not clear in what it is. I now see I have more flatpaks than I believed I had. They are working nicely at least, the ones I am using.
  - iudqnolq 4y ago
    When you type `apt install foo` you always get a deb, they don't sneak a snap or flatpak behind your back (unlike Ubuntu). If you open up Pop Shop (their GUI alternative) you'll see both flatpaks and debs. If an app could be installed by either they have a dropdown next to the install button that defaults to flatpak. I think that's probably the best compromise possible. Power users get what they want, novices get something that probably just works, and intermediate users are guided towards learning about the distinction.

Does Pop OS use snaps as aggressively as Ubuntu?

by ProAm 4y ago

Does Pop OS use snaps as aggressively as Ubuntu?

dublinben 4y ago

No, they've gone with flatpak instead. It's one of the better reasons to use it, if you were considering Ubuntu.

JohnFen 4y ago
Wait, by that do you mean that you can't avoid using flatpaks?
- mfragin 4y ago
  In the Pop!_Shop you can often find both the deb version or the flatpak, so you can avoid them quite easily. For things that only appear with a flatpak option you can usually find other ways to install, after a little searching on the web. It's very clear in the Pop!_Shop whether it's a flatpak or not, which is nice ....
  - tehbeard 4y ago
    I.... would disagree. I have often seen multiple entries in the pop shop for things like kodi or vlc, and it can be a crap shot on if it works or not. sometimes there's a dropdown but often it's two entries in the search results with similar descriptions and no indication of installation method. Other than that, best desktop linux experience so far for me.
    - mfragin 4y ago
      I stand corrected! Thanks for posting, as I had a limited experience and was happy that most of my applications fell into the first category below: I just tested it out and some applications like GIMP and INKSCAPE appear as a result and when you click on it, it has a drop-down in which you can choose between the flatpak and deb version. Unfortunately the flatpak is the default choice, so many people would probably never even know about the alternative choice. Other applications a clearly different, and it's not clear what you are getting. Like VLC. Then you have some like BATTLE FOR WESNOTH that shows two results. One of the two (if you activate it) has the drop-down, but both choices are flatpaks. The other result is apparently NOT a flatpak, but not clear in what it is. I now see I have more flatpaks than I believed I had. They are working nicely at least, the ones I am using.
- iudqnolq 4y ago
  When you type `apt install foo` you always get a deb, they don't sneak a snap or flatpak behind your back (unlike Ubuntu). If you open up Pop Shop (their GUI alternative) you'll see both flatpaks and debs. If an app could be installed by either they have a dropdown next to the install button that defaults to flatpak. I think that's probably the best compromise possible. Power users get what they want, novices get something that probably just works, and intermediate users are guided towards learning about the distinction.