The future of Linux mint after Ubuntu goin snap?

[oneuser]

Hello there, i was wondering because ubuntu packages are goin to be snap only, for instance firefox recently will go snap only, so if someday ubuntu will totally swithc to snaps, will linux mint follow or go debian? Thanks, i'm kinda worried

[JoeFootball]

... because ubuntu packages are goin to be snap only ..

I don't think all Ubuntu packages are going to be Snap, and I don't think Linux Mint will ever adopt Snap as its default.

[vanadium]

Mint firmly opposes snap, so it can be expected it won't move to it anytime soon. In the short term, I doubt that the Mint team will take over the Firefox packaging, once Canonical stops doing it. They did not for Chromium. Otherwise, Mint may decide to adopt the flatpak version of Firefox.

For the longer term, where Ubuntu may move to Snap for the majority of its default applications, Mint could go the flatpak route, or go to its plan B, i.e. stop building on Ubuntu and directly build on Debian instead.

[Hoser Rob]

All those bits of app software moving to snap isn not because of Ubuntu. It's the app developers themselves. They're sick of having to deal with no cnonsistent packaging systems and no API stability. Generally these app developers aren't getting paid for it, they have other paying jobs, and it's diffficult to get programmers to do proper maintenance without paying them to do it. Maintenance is really drudgery. So expect more snaps/flatpaks/appimages.

[oneuser]

So i guess eventually the base system will be based upod (modified) .deb files while apps gonna be snap if i got it right?

[MurphCID]

Heretic here, I LIKE flatpaks.

[ajgringo619]

Heretic here, I LIKE flatpaks.

Same here. My only real issue with flatpaks is there seems to be more out-of-date packages than there used to be, which is one of its biggest selling points when I first started using them a couple of years ago.

[MurphCID]

Heretic here, I LIKE flatpaks.

Same here. My only real issue with flatpaks is there seems to be more out-of-date packages than there used to be, which is one of its biggest selling points when I first started using them a couple of years ago.

I noticed the same thing lately.

[chavic]

But having a few apps in snap version, that is not going to consume more HD space , isn't?

[vanadium]

Having apps as snap and flatpak will require more disk space. However, this is only in the order of some hundreds of megabytes, not a real concern on the vast majority of systems nowadays.

It's the app developers themselves.

. Not sure. Many developers publish their source code. That's it. Imagine Canonical, however. Instead of having to package Firefox upon each new upstream release *and* for all their supported releases, they comfortably check whether Mozilla had the new Snap correctly in place, and all of their platforms are served.

[DPM]

They did not for Chromium.

They bought a powerful build server so that Mint can ship Chromium natively, and that machine could probably be used for building FF as well.

[JoeFootball]

Linux Mint already maintains its own versions of Firefox, as well as Chromium.

Edit: For example ...

http://packages.linuxmint.com/search.ph ... rd=firefox

http://packages.linuxmint.com/search.ph ... d=chromium

[vanadium]

So indeed Mint is thoroughly prepared.

[Kendoori]

Also heretic. I side with the developers and consistency. Disk space is cheap.

P.S. I have Snaps, Appimages and Flatpak's on my system. And I respect the choices that the various developers have had to make regarding their packaging choices

[MurphCID]

Here is something to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31WRiI1nk8Q and then here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FQmE24Bzzs

[Kendoori]

Here is something to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31WRiI1nk8Q and then here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FQmE24Bzzs

Thanks for sharing this. It's informed, clear, and I think Jay LaCroix is practical in his assessment that Universal apps are the future of Linux.

In case you want to cut to the chase, people should go to his summary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FQmE24Bzzs&t=1485s

[ne0h]

Mint must become a debian version. Ubuntu has taken a totally wrong turn.

i am totally agree!

[DPM]

Mint must become a debian version. Ubuntu has taken a totally wrong turn.

LMDE is already there so that Mint has an option if Canonical becomes unbearable.

[ne0h]

I also think that snap will be the umpteenth failure of Canonical, after unity.
by installing snaps packages, the boot time of the system becomes very long, and the more you install, the situation gets worse. A real disaster. I have been using LMDE4 for a few months, after using MXlinux for a while. before i had done 8 years with ubuntu, abandoned after the advent of unity. now with snapd the situation is getting even worse. many users are complaining. I have left ubuntu and I am very happy with a debian-based one. I love LMDE4. For me too Mint should be based entirely on debian! maybe on the testing branch if they want more up-to-date software. it being understood that the stable branch is fantastic, incredible stability, never a problem.

[Hoser Rob]

Mint must become a debian version. Ubuntu has taken a totally wrong turn.

Rubbish, Ubuntu is supporting developers, which is what is needed in Linux.