Hey All,
I have started using Flathub more often for installing different apps & I like the convenience it brings It feels much cleaner compared to juggling multiple package managers on Linux However . I am still figuring out the best way to manage updates and version control for apps installed this way Sometimes. I want to know if it is better to rely only on Flathub or mix it with other sources such as apt or snap I would love to hear how others are handling this.
Another thing on my mind is about development tools . I am exploring languages & platforms for some personal projects & I came across a Golang Course that explained how lightweight Go apps are and how easy deployment can be So now .I am thinking if it makes sense to install my dev tools through Flathub itself or stick to traditional installation methods. What do you all think Do you use Flathub for coding related software or just regular desktop apps. I appreciate your thoughts
Currently I use Flathub as my main source for most applications. For me, it works quite well but some limitations are really annoying (e.g. installing a GOG-Windows game via Bottles doesn’t work as intended because the installer has multiple files but the file chooser portal is limited to one) & not always easily resolvable.
In the end, it depends on what you want to do & what you’re comfortable with. There are several ways to build an application with a sandboxed IDE but it can require additional steps if native dependencies are involved.
I use IntelliJ IDEA & VSCodium & built everything inside the sandbox with the IDE Sdk & the Sdk extensions from Flathub (which already works for many projects because most languages provide their own package managers). If I’m missing anything, I build my own Sdk extensions to provide additional tools or missing dependencies or simply use the pre-built binaries of a project (e.g. Flutter or Android).
Some other options which I haven’t tried, yet:
- Most IDEs have container support, so you can setup your build independent from Flatpak or the host system
- You can start a host-terminal inside the sandbox via
flatpak-spawn / host-spawn & use the terminal to build / run your project with your host system (if you’re running all from your host then you could also simply run a not sandboxed IDE)
Noteworthy, if it’s an option: GNOME Builder has very good Flatpak support. Besides using the host system or containers, it can use a Flatpak builder manifest to prepare everything required (but it’s been a while since I’ve tried it).
