Flatpak integration with desktop systems
The Future of Flatpak
© Lead Image © Viktor Gmyria. 123RF.com
Flatpak's development may have been prompted by container development, but its future depends on the desktop.
Alternative systems for distributing software are on the rise. In 2018, everyone was talking about Flatpak and Snap. In addition, AppImage, which does not require any basic installation, offers completely self-sufficient packages.
Flatpak [1], developed by Fedora under the leadership of Alexander Larsson, is compatible with desktop applications. It lets you package software so that the same package works on all distributions. The only requirement is a matching Flatpak runtime environment.
Origins
Flatpak, which reached version 1.0 in mid-2018, is now considered mature enough for production use. The current version is 1.50. The origin of the format dates back to 2007, when Red Hat employee Larsson was experimenting with klik [2], AppImage's predecessor. However, he did not like some of the technical details. In the same year, he released Glick, which was based on FUSE [3], due to the lack of container APIs, which had not yet been invented.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 Drops bcachefs
After a clash over some late fixes and disagreements between bcachefs's lead developer and Linus Torvalds, bachefs is out.
-
ONLYOFFICE v9 Embraces AI
Like nearly all office suites on the market (except LibreOffice), ONLYOFFICE has decided to go the AI route.
-
Two Local Privilege Escalation Flaws Discovered in Linux
Qualys researchers have discovered two local privilege escalation vulnerabilities that allow hackers to gain root privileges on major Linux distributions.
-
New TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro Powered by AMD Ryzen AI 300
The TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen10 offers serious power that is ready for your business, development, or entertainment needs.
-
Danish Ministry of Digital Affairs Transitions to Linux
Another major organization has decided to kick Microsoft Windows and Office to the curb in favor of Linux.
-
Linux Mint 20 Reaches EOL
With Linux Mint 20 at its end of life, the time has arrived to upgrade to Linux Mint 22.
-
TuxCare Announces Support for AlmaLinux 9.2
Thanks to TuxCare, AlmaLinux 9.2 (and soon version 9.6) now enjoys years of ongoing patching and compliance.
-
Go-Based Botnet Attacking IoT Devices
Using an SSH credential brute-force attack, the Go-based PumaBot is exploiting IoT devices everywhere.
-
Plasma 6.5 Promises Better Memory Optimization
With the stable Plasma 6.4 on the horizon, KDE has a few new tricks up its sleeve for Plasma 6.5.
-
KaOS 2025.05 Officially Qt5 Free
If you're a fan of independent Linux distributions, the team behind KaOS is proud to announce the latest iteration that includes kernel 6.14 and KDE's Plasma 6.3.5.