What has been your experience with Flatpak?

I’ve been involved with Linux for a long time, and Flatpak almost seems too good to be true:
Just install any app on any distro, isolated from the base system and with granular rights management. I’ve just set up my first flatpak-centric system and didn’t notice any issues with it at all, apart from a 1-second waiting time before an app is launched.

What’s your long-term experience?

Notice any annoying bugs or instabilities? Do apps crash a lot? Disappear from Flathub or are unmaintained? Do you often have issues with apps that don’t integrate well with your native system? Are important apps missing?

snugglebutt,
@snugglebutt@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

Don’t really see the point of installing a whole other package manager, personally. If its not in the repos or AUR, I’ll just compile from source.

Smokeydope,
@Smokeydope@lemmy.world avatar

Its quick and easy to install a flatpak which is the latest stable which is a godsend when the versions available through package manager are years out of date. Not everyone can compile from source or add an additional source repo. My only big issue is how bloated flatpaks are size wise and where stuff gets installed in my file system.

stella,

Good for software that isn’t available any other way.

I never use flatpaks if something is available in the Manjaro repository or AUR.

CuriousTommy,

Generally speaking, it has been a great experience for most apps I use. The only exception is Steam, it runs well, but sometimes I run into a few issues.

  • This might be due to me using an NVIDIA GPU, but after I do a graphics update, my game (Team Fortress 2) doesn’t launch until I reset Steam.
  • I like joining a third party MvM servers through the website (potato.tf), sometimes joining the game causes a second instance of Steam to launch for some reason…
clemdemort,
@clemdemort@lemmy.world avatar

They take a lot of space but the advantages you get are amazing, VScodium broke again this week, I could just rollback to the commit that worked with no issues. I can install apps I don’t trust and not give them any permission over my filesystem. And best of all: it works on any distro so I know my setup is reproducible easily.

possiblylinux127,

Flatpaks are great. I do wish flatseal was part of the flatpak standard. I want an android style permissions menu

bjoern_tantau,
@bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de avatar

Well, Flatseal is using flatpak’s standard way of managing permissions. Everything it does you can also do from the command line with flatpak. It’s just a frontend.

I think KDE wants to add these options to it’s settings as well. That will be great, when it’s better integrated into the whole system.

LaggyKar,
@LaggyKar@programming.dev avatar

KDE already does have the same thing in its settings

Kusimulkku,

I’d like to see permission pop ups so I know it wanted permission to do something and didn’t have them, having to ask me. Sometimes it is explained that certain stuff the app does are blocked by the sandbox by default for security, but you can enable it, which is alright. Sometimes you’ll just have to find that out for yourself.

fxdave,

I wish it would be possible now but it probably won’t happen until windows and mac will have similar features. The problem is that processes cannot just read a file, because in the container it doesn’t exist. It’s maybe due to permission. Maybe not. You cannot tell. Android apps are written in a way that they request access, while pc apps are just reading the files directly without requesting permission.

So the app has to be written for flatpak. However, afaik, this is the maintainers goal too. Btw, the file open dialog is a currently working example of the dynamic permission handling. It’s just that the app should use these features which is not guaranteed.

Kusimulkku,

That makes sense. Unfortunate that we won’t have it anytime soon

Redoomed, (edited )

I want an android style permissions menu

Same. In addition to the prompt-based permissions that @Kusimulkku brings up, I’d like to see more granular control of permissions. For example, a flatpak app’s access to webcams, controllers, etc. are all controlled through just one permission: –device=all (aka “Device Access” in KDE’s Flatpak Permission Settings).

radioactiveradio,

I try to limit the apps i install from flathub cuz limited space.

Maragato,
@Maragato@eslemmy.es avatar

For recent machines it works fine, but on older machines it feels slower than non-encapsulated software.

Churbleyimyam,

I’ve gone back to using packages from my repo. I was all-in with flatpaks for a while because they tend to be more up to date than my distro’s packages and I liked the idea of the sandboxing but in practice I’ve found it a nuisance getting applications to speak to each other and I don’t like all the redundant code bloating my internal drive. The thing that really did it for me though was the other day when I had to restore my system from a Timeshift backup. It took an hour and a half to restore a recent backup, with well over 90% of that time showing as flatpak stuff.

TheAnonymouseJoker,
@TheAnonymouseJoker@lemmy.ml avatar

Starting delay for first time, then smooth sailing. But Flatpak has a major con over Snap - sandboxed system integration of programs.

danielfgom,
@danielfgom@lemmy.world avatar

Only using it for Telegram at the moment but it’s been good. A like slow to launch but otherwise works great and integrates with the notification features of Linux Mint.

Other things like WhatsApp, Inoreader, Mastodon, Lemmy I run as a web app using Mint’s brilliant web app tool which makes the web app like and with like a native app.

art,
@art@lemmy.world avatar

I’ve been using Flatpak applications for a year (I think) and it’s been wonderful. There are a few bugs here and there but overall way less headaches.

I can run my mature, rock solid Debian system and sell have the freshest builds of desktop software that I use.

mcepl,
@mcepl@lemmy.world avatar

I am on MicroOS-based distro, so all my GUI applications are from Flatpak. I don’t see any difference from more traditional distro, it just works.

Secret300,

When it works if works pretty well. When it don’t it’s a pain in the ass

mactan,

it’s my preference for proprietary apps

  • All
  • Subscribed
  • Moderated
  • Favorites
  • •
  • linux@lemmy.ml
  • localhost
  • All magazines
    •
    Loading…
    Loading the web debug toolbar…
    Attempt #