The latest version of Ubuntu came packed with support for a new app distribution service called snap that significantly simplifies app installation. Now, that’s available on just about every popular Linux distribution around.
Traditionally, applications for Linux have come packed in formats like DEB. These packages have the application you want to install, but also install any dependencies you might need to run that app. This can lead to conflicts and is generally just a bit of a mess.
Instead of running around installing a bunch of conflicting dependencies, Snap packages are self-contained. Each dependency is restricted to the app you’re installing. This can lead to redundancy, but it does simplify things quiet a bit. It also makes Snap packages faster and more secure, as well as offering up modern features like automatic updates.
As with anything Linux, if you don’t like this system, you don’t have to use them. RPM and DEB will stick around, but Snaps can make installing certain packages a heck of lot easier. Snap packages now work with Arch, Debian, Fedora and many other distros.
Universal “snap” packages launch on multiple Linux Distros [Ubuntu via Ars Technica]
Comments
3 responses to “Linux App Distribution Gets A Little Easier With ‘Snap’”
More or less, containerised apps, nice.
Might be worth checking this from a fedora QA guy: https://www.happyassassin.net/2016/06/16/on-snappy-and-flatpak-business-as-usual-in-the-canonical-propaganda-department/
To be honest, I might have stuck with Linux in the past, if the names of the plugins and commands weren’t so esoteric. My memory isn’t good at the best of times, let alone trying to retrieve the name of a plugin or program I needed to use, that has a completely garbled name to it.