Bug 387718 - Add Flathub by default with Flatpak backend
Summary: Add Flathub by default with Flatpak backend
Status: RESOLVED DOWNSTREAM
Alias: None
Product: Discover
Classification: Applications
Component: Flatpak Backend (show other bugs)
Version: 5.11.4
Platform: Other Linux
: NOR wishlist
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Aleix Pol
URL:
Keywords:
: 387788 (view as bug list)
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2017-12-08 18:49 UTC by Nate Graham
Modified: 2018-08-29 13:48 UTC (History)
3 users (show)

See Also:
Latest Commit:
Version Fixed In:


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Description Nate Graham 2017-12-08 18:49:26 UTC
It looks like we already have easy support for adding Flathub as a source, but it's not already added by default. We should add Flathub by default so that Flatpak apps appear in Discover without the user having to do anything (unless my not seeing it is a distro packaging issue due to using an Ubuntu-based distro, in which case oops, sorry).
Comment 1 Nate Graham 2017-12-08 22:41:05 UTC
FWIW, the Linux Mint folks did this recently with their equivalent software: https://www.linuxmint.com/rel_sylvia_cinnamon_whatsnew.php
Comment 2 Nate Graham 2017-12-11 03:19:07 UTC
Inapplicable; this is something distros handle.
Comment 3 Nate Graham 2017-12-11 03:21:33 UTC
Actually never mind. We should just make sure that the Flatpak backend package automatically adds Flathub by default. Otherwise users have to do this manually, which is user-unfriendly since the kind of user who could benefit from this won't know that they have to do it or know how.
Comment 4 Nate Graham 2017-12-11 03:22:03 UTC
*** Bug 387788 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 5 Aleix Pol 2017-12-11 13:13:43 UTC
It's not Discover's job to modify the installation. I'd complain to your distribution.

One thing I did add for 5.12 is a menu entry in settings called "add flathub" that does so. The user still needs to install, we can advertise it more aggressively though.
Comment 6 Nate Graham 2017-12-11 15:15:57 UTC
Is this really up to distros? I was very surprised that I had to manually add Flathub after installing the Flatpak backend. It's not very useful without at least one Flatpak source.

It seems reasonable that distros might adjust this, but why not provide a sane default so they don't have to if they're satisfied with Flatpak? This would also help users (like me) who manually install the Flatpak backend and just want it to work with a minimum of fuss.

I can try to work with the Kubuntu plasma-discover maintainers, but the none of the other distros will get this without their own work. I think we would provide a better user experience with a sane default.
Comment 7 Aleix Pol 2017-12-11 16:20:27 UTC
Do you reckon it would be better if we showed a passive notification at start saying "we recommend you add flathub to your flatpak repositories <Click here>"?
Comment 8 Nate Graham 2017-12-11 16:49:51 UTC
What's the use case for a person who would answer "no"? to that? Since Flathub is really the only production-ready Flatpak repo right now, my preference would be just add it automatically. The Flatpak backend isn't very useful without it.
Comment 9 Nate Graham 2017-12-11 17:13:16 UTC
I'm trying to think about this from the perspective of my wife, a user of Plasma and Discover. If she saw that pop-up, she would think "What's a Flatpak? What's Flathub? What are my repositories, and do I actually want them modified? What does any of this mean? How should I know the right answer? I just want to see what apps are available."

These technologies are great, but we don't need to push their jargon in the user's faces, especially when we can do a good of anticipating what they *would* want to do.
Comment 10 Aleix Pol 2017-12-11 23:51:55 UTC
Well, what we can't do is modify the user's system just because.
Also please don't nitpick on my wording when I'm trying to convey an idea.

Adding it automatically would be something like "install libreoffice automatically on the first Discover run, because it's the only stable office suit in linux".

We won't go modifying stuff because the distribution didn't bother. Instead, we should advocate for a vision on how users will adopt their software on their systems while making it easy for users of distros that didn't care to have the minimal features at reach.

I'm open to adding actions, buttons, notifications but I don't consider acceptable to add a source automatically.
Comment 11 Nate Graham 2017-12-12 00:16:14 UTC
Sorry, wasn't trying to nitpick. I don't think it's like your LibreOffice example; there are plenty of people who would use a computer without libreoffice. But what's the use case for someone to install the Flatpak backend without Flathub?

Still, if this has to be a downstream matter, that's fine. I'll make my case to the distros.
Comment 13 Aleix Pol 2017-12-12 12:53:30 UTC
FWIW I think the big difference here is that you assume that the user will eventually install flatpak and have it ready to run, whereas my understanding is that flatpak (and snap) should come built-in in distros by default soon.
Comment 14 Christophe Marin 2017-12-12 13:18:35 UTC
FTR, we closed/wontfix for openSUSE.
Comment 15 Rex Dieter 2018-06-01 17:25:45 UTC
Any suggestions on how best to actually implement this request?  (Sorry, it's not obvious to me)
Comment 16 Nate Graham 2018-06-03 22:23:25 UTC
Responded in https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1524756. :)