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Why is there only one Snap Store?

merlijn.sebrechts.be

111–120 of 362 posts

Re: Why is there only one Snap Store?

#111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To go back to Snap for a second: didn't Linux Mint drop it recently? I'm not happy on Ubuntu with snap because of what seems to be auto-updates -- maybe it's another thing that's auto-updating? I use Hugo [0], whose binaries are still [0] https://gohugo.io

Yes, auto-updates are built into snap. Also, the "solutions" to disable it are pretty much workarounds [1]. All this looks like just what made me stop using windows 10. [1]: https://askubuntu.com/questions/930593/how-to-disable-autore...

Sigh. I'm a developer that is on early-version binaries often, and need to keep them frozen and update them manually. I shouldn't have to default to compiling from source.

Can I bypass snap entirely without major issues? I like Ubuntu, but indeed, I left Windows 10 officially due to auto-updates.

Re: Why is there only one Snap Store?

#112
post #71
post #57

Control. 1. Get market share with free product. 2. Start charging once monopoly is achieved. 3. Profit!

Lol as if there is oodles of money to be gained from hosting a store like that on Linux. We can see all these steam game publishers desperate to release games to a community that is rather famous fo being cheapskates. Also, snap existing doesn't hinder flatpak or appimage or debs or rpms.

> release games to a community that is rather famous fo being cheapskates

Wrong, if you look at game sales that are donation-based, like the humble bundle (they used to publish average price per platform but I haven't found recent data), you'll see that Linux users actually pay significantly more (voluntarily).

Re: Why is there only one Snap Store?

#113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Homebrew is solid, and I think you make a good list. I had it break before with weird cyclical linking issues, but mostly it works good enough. What I was more curious about is what specifically sets it apart from a solid Linux package manager? > Lets you manage your packages with ordinary user-level permissions. No root elevation required. This is the one major difference I'd say is not currently common on Linux. Co…

> This is the one major difference I'd say is not currently common on Linux. Could be easily solved by keeping package list databases in $HOME - the only reason root is required nowdays is because these are usually kept as 1 copy per system. As I posted elsewhere, I think it'd actually be very hard to replicate the experience of Homebrew on macOS, on Linux, specifically for GUI programs, because not only is the the L…

> think it'd actually be very hard to replicate the experience of Homebrew on macOS, on Linux, specifically for GUI programs, because not only is the the Linux GUI (and related multimedia capabilities, for that matter) so much more fragmented than macOS (where all that ships as one big, stable package

Curious about this, since as far as audio goes, as long as there's PulseAudio on the system, all others tend to have compatibility with it in mind.

> Its package selection is also a whole lot bigger than most Linux package managers, in my experience

That could be, but I personally haven't had an issue with the Arch repo + AUR selections, that's tens of thousands of packages.

> Good error messages

Hmm, these are mostly there, I just made a mistake on purpose and got this, (pacman):

error: invalid option: '--search' and '--sysupgrade' may not be used together

> and "did you mean...

Did you mean would be nice. Git has that and it's certainly helpful

Re: Why is there only one Snap Store?

#114
post #59
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> - making bad decisions so people jump off Ubuntu and go back to Debian, my beloved distro Amen. Debian is the best.

When I fist started using Debian, it was a bit of a potato. It improved over time but still felt a little wooden. Ubuntu brought a lot of people back into the Debian ecosystem, ensured that it improved constantly to the point where it's a corporate power buster, and I feel like the next release will hit the bullseye for sure.

I agreed with everything you sid.

Re: Why is there only one Snap Store?

#115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, auto-updates are built into snap. Also, the "solutions" to disable it are pretty much workarounds [1]. All this looks like just what made me stop using windows 10. [1]: https://askubuntu.com/questions/930593/how-to-disable-autore...

Sigh. I'm a developer that is on early-version binaries often, and need to keep them frozen and update them manually. I shouldn't have to default to compiling from source. Can I bypass snap entirely without major issues? I like Ubuntu, but indeed, I left Windows 10 officially due to auto-updates.

Yeah, there's no reason you have to use Snap. You can even use flatpak on Ubuntu (I've just started trying that out myself).

Re: Why is there only one Snap Store?

#116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow - strong language. Can I ask - do you contribute meaningfully to any open source packages? Do you buy software at a significant commercial level? I've noticed this sort of total absolutest, outraged, scorched earth style sometimes comes from the free riders. At least in some businesses I've worked with - if you can eliminate customers that approach things in this way your staff are happier, your life more relaxed…

You're making plenty of unfounded assumptions about the parent poster's personal character. One is not obligated to contribute to open source packages or pay for high-price contracts to provide feedback on a company's software on a public forum. (And the server portion of Snap is closed source.) Just because Microsoft and Google do worse does not mean that Canonical cannot do better.

Open source contribution is not a requirement for providing feedback but people who actually understand the industry are more legitimate in most people's eyes.

Re: Why is there only one Snap Store?

#117

That reminds me of the stake Ubuntu Core was born with in its heart: > An Ubuntu SSO account is required to create the first user on an Ubuntu Core installation. They just keep flinging shit at nothing and hoping to hit a wall they can build a gate in. They're trying to boil the frog slowly with Snap on the Server/Desktop branches. There is no possible genuine motive for these maneuverings to be in the position of ga…

Wow - strong language. Can I ask - do you contribute meaningfully to any open source packages? Do you buy software at a significant commercial level? I've noticed this sort of total absolutest, outraged, scorched earth style sometimes comes from the free riders. At least in some businesses I've worked with - if you can eliminate customers that approach things in this way your staff are happier, your life more relaxed…

> The same "you are dead to me" ragers are often knee deep in google account / xbox account / netflix go anywhere accounts etc.

While I am not GP, I am what of these people. I stay as far away as I can from cloud accounts unless I have the option to self host. I self host Nextcloud and I am soon going to self-host Matrix.

I use F-Droid for my phone apps.

Re: Why is there only one Snap Store?

#118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're making plenty of unfounded assumptions about the parent poster's personal character. One is not obligated to contribute to open source packages or pay for high-price contracts to provide feedback on a company's software on a public forum. (And the server portion of Snap is closed source.) Just because Microsoft and Google do worse does not mean that Canonical cannot do better.

Open source contribution is not a requirement for providing feedback but people who actually understand the industry are more legitimate in most people's eyes.

We're talking about the desktop computing industry, not the OS development industry. You don't need a PhD in computer science to tell a good user experience from a bad one.

Re: Why is there only one Snap Store?

#119
It's not for nothing that Snap is considered dangerous by SUSE and is not officially supported. They even fail basic upstream responsibilities.

https://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=3906

> A year later, in the Ubuntu 20.04 package base, the Chromium package is indeed empty and acting, without your consent, as a backdoor by connecting your computer to the Ubuntu Store. Applications in this store cannot be patched, or pinned. You can’t audit them, hold them, modify them or even point snap to a different store. You’ve as much empowerment with this as if you were using proprietary software, i.e. none. This is in effect similar to a commercial proprietary solution, but with two major differences: It runs as root, and it installs itself without asking you.

> First, I’m happy to confirm that Linux Mint 20, like previous Mint releases will not ship with any snaps or snapd installed.

Re: Why is there only one Snap Store?

#120
post #9

Semi-related: Does anyone else feel like Ubuntu has lost a lot of its momentum over the past few years? I don't hear about things they're doing nearly as often anymore.

Well, they spent several years on Unity8+Mir, and then abandoned it went that went nowhere. They then pivoted to Snaps, where they are so proud of themselves on their echo chamber of a forum that they can't see that the end users are less than impressed. Honestly, I've stopped paying attention because Ubuntu is great at building technology with critical, mind-bogglingly obvious flaws that sink the project every time.

Don't forget Upstart, Juju, and Ubuntu Phone
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