Linux

There are closed source apps in Flathub today. Spotify comes to mind.

I use closed source apps. BurpSuite, Microsoft Teams, and some of the JetBrains tools for example.

I would like to see FlatHub become an App Store suitable for distributing paid software as well. That is, I can pay for the software in the App Store. If FlatHub was making money, they could fund the development of Flatpak.

I do not want FlatHub or GNOME to be writing commercial software. They can distribute it though and then use those profits to support the ecosystem.

I use LibreOffice but more people would use Linux if they could use Microsoft Office. I use GIMP but many professional users cite Photoshop as the reason that they cannot migrate to Linux.

Let’s get the Adobe Creative Suite into a Linux Apo Store so Linux users can get their software and Adobe can make money. Then let’s try to make better Open Source alternatives to put them out of business. I would rather compete with them head-to-head on Linux than to keep people trapped on commercial desktops like we do today.

We already have a successful paid software App Store on Linux. It is called Steam. And it is bringing many new users to Linux. We need to do the same for paid applications that are not games.

I do not really want either FlatHub or GNOME to fall into the Mozilla trap though where they become focussed on creating revenue. FlatHub already has a natural way to make money. They should use it to first fund development of their platform. If they have excess cash (guaranteed if an App Store takes off), they can give it away to other projects. Something like a FlatHub Summer of Code would be amazing.