this post was submitted on 11 Jul 2023
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I am currently using Linux Mint (after a long stint of using MX Linux) after learning it handles Nvidia graphics cards flawlessly, which I am grateful for. Whatever grief I have given Ubuntu in the past, I take it back because when they make something work, it is solid.

Anyways, like most distros these days, Flatpaks show up alongside native packages in the package manager / app store. I used to have a bias towards getting the natively packed version, but these days, I am choosing Flatpaks, precisely because I know they will be the latest version.

This includes Blender, Cura, Prusaslicer, and just now QBittorrent. I know this is probably dumb, but I choose the version based on which has the nicer icon.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I like containerization for server applications, especially when running different services on one box. For desktop use, native libraries are stable and usually the applications being used are single instance. I don't see a point in running desktop apps in containers.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

No doubt the benefits of technology on a server benefits the desktop user to some degree?

Containerization does add complexity in its assembly, but simplifies things for the system overall, which I think is appealing.

Still, that is just another abstraction away from the machine.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I try to always use flatpak because I can install/remove software is a simpler way without leaving dependencies installed on my system forever.

Obviously for critical stuff I use the native version

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I feel like the distinction is pretty automatic. I don't know what critical stuff you can download from flatpaks.

I guess OBS for steaming?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (3 children)

As someone who uses Linux but only kinda, what advantages does flatpack offer over installing something with the provided package manager? (In my case that's apt)

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I prefer containers for docker/kubernetes but not on my PC.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Yeah, the glory of owning more than one computer. I have a few that I can put to work. Too bad older computers are not as efficient, but perhaps I can invest in a UPC solution that takes solar so not to waste too much energy.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Theoretically I like the idea but in practice too many bugs, too much disk space, not really clear how to change font size for example... and after all that, some apps are not in flatpak. It is not ready for me yet.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

On my main PC I use for gaming I run Arch and prefer native packages whenever I can use them. I'm quite happy to have this one computer by a hobby project, and native applications just make more sense on something as up to date as Arch when they're available. I have started to prefer Flatpak over AUR packages though. The AUR is pretty overrated, in my opinion.

On my laptop and anything else I install Linux on I usually just use LMDE, and I'll often prefer the Flatpak, just because it's way more up to date. There are some apps that Mint keeps up to date native versions of, and there are some apps that come preinstalled that I just don't care about having the latest version of, but for everything else I usually just download the Flatpak.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago
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