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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Who does flatpak/snap benefit? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 9 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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As a user, the best way to handle applications is a central repository where interoperability is guaranteed. Something like what Debian does with the base repos. I just run an install and it's all taken care of for me. What's more, I don't deal with unnecessary bloat from dozens of different versions of the same library according to the needs of each separate dev/team.

So the self-contained packages must be primarily of benefit to the devs, right? Except I was just reading through how flatpak handles dependencies: runtimes, base apps, and bundling. Runtimes and base apps supply dependencies to the whole system, so they only ever get installed once... but the documentation explicitly mentions that there are only few of both meaning that most devs will either have to do what repo devs do—ensure their app works with the standard libraries—or opt for bundling.

Devs being human—and humans being animals—this means the overall average tendency will be to bundle, because that's easier for them. Which means that I, the end user, now have more bloat, which incentivizes me to retreat to the disk-saving havens of repos, which incentivizes the devs to release on a repo anyway...

So again... who does this benefit? Or am I just completely misunderstanding the costs and benefits?

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

There are a few runtimes which provide quite a few things already (for desktop and system integration) and there are a growing number of modules for other commonly used stuff, example ffmpeg (de/encoding) which other flatpaks can reuse. Also flatpak uses OSTREE to try and prevent duplication.

The more the devs work with it the better their packaging and bundeling is gonna get. At the moment it is new and they have to re-learn some things and not everything might be done in the best way possible, but that will improve with time.

And i think it benefits everyone. Devs and distro maintainers dont need to repackage, test and integrate stuff for all distors and users have stuff that has an almost 100% chance of working out-of-the-box that is also quicker with updates/fixes.

IMO, overall an improvement in comparision to the current state with deb/rpm/pkgs/... for userspace applications.