Did we kill Linux's killer feature?
A few years ago we were able to upgrade everything (OS and Apps) using a single command. I remember this was something we boasted about when talking to Windows and Mac fans. It was such an amazing feature. Something that users of proprietary systems hadn't even heard about. We had this on desktops before things like Apple's App Store and Play Store were a thing.
We can no longer do that thanks to Flatpaks and Snaps as well as AppImages.
Recently i upgraded my Fedora system. I few days later i found out i was runnig some older apps since they were Flatpaks (i had completely forgotten how I installed bitwarden for instance.)
Do you miss the old system too?
Is it possible to bring back that experience? A unified, reliable CLI solution to make sure EVERYTHING is up to date?
There has always been the option of installing software from source. The package manager won't update anything installed from source.
You don't have to use Flatpak, Snap or AppImage if you don't want to. If you use the package manager to install everything, it will update everything.
Except doesn't ubumtu now force a snap on you even if you try installing a package app?
The solution is to use any of the other hundreds of readily available distributions.
Exactly. I dont have flatpak or snap integration installed so packages are packages. I think it was Ubuntu being delivered with snap as part of the OS. As well as CLI ads.
I'm confused by this. If I run apt install, am I getting stuff from flatpak?
Yes and no, you're getting stuff form Snap, not flatpak
Even when I'm running apt directly? That seems insane.
Yep, that's why some people are so upset about it. I guess there's a config to disable it but I wouldn't know, I use Arch btw
You have to check your distros info, but from popular Linux podcasts they were claiming certain distros used the apt get but once the package manager saw what you want it would throw in a snap or flatpak of the same. Not all distros. I think Ubuntu was one.
Yes. Some packages are just meta packages for their snap versions.
If I use ubuntu I'm somehow forced to use them.
Even on Fedora the average user is presented with many flatpak results when they use the GUI software manager. Not everyone is technically adept enough to check the origin of the app. So it's kind of being forced on users.
If you use the Fedora software manager it updates everything at once? It even updates BIOS firmware.
Yes, that's why I stopped using it years ago (among other reasons).
Users are not out of options, they don't need to check the origin of the apps themselves, it's enough to ask other users what distros don't do the things they don't like and use those.
so ditch this nonsense and use a better distro?
You can use bauh. it is a graphical app manager which can Install and update appimage, deb, flatpak, snap and web apps. https://github.com/vinifmor/bauh
emerge lols
Portage: Am I a joke to you?