Confused about 'snaps'

[natman]

Hi,
So .deb is now being replaced by snaps?

I need to use KILE for text editing, I have no idea if it is a snap or not? I used to always get it from the synaptic manager. Will I have any issues if I choose 20.04?

[Snowhog]

Kile is available in 20.04. See https://packages.ubuntu.com/focal/kile

[GreyGeek]

It is, as I understand it, a form of Canonical "store". Will the store begin attaching $$$ prices to packages in the store, or offering some packages only through the store? Inquiring minds may want to know.

Personally, I use the default repositories and have completely removed and/or disabled all snapd packages and devices, including the snap loop devices and their mount points, the snapd sockets and timers, etc... That means that Chromium is persona nongrata on my system because to install it, even from the repository, also pulls in snapd.

Snapd resides as a daemon in the processes. Why? Neither muon or synaptic run daemons when they are not being used, and don't when they are, and they work well. What else is snapd doing? It may be the best thing since sliced bread. But, without the constantly running daemon, how is the "store" any different from the repository, unless Canonical plans to eliminate the repository and force people to use the store.

I am not adverse to paying to use the distro I select. Between 1998, when I first installed SuSE 5.3, till 2003, when Novel bought it and I moved on, I paid about $25 for each release, which was about every three months, and considered it money well spent. That was around $500-$750 over a five year period, IIRC. One didn't have to buy each release. They could continue to use a release as long as they wanted. In 2003 I paid $75 at Barnes & Nobel for a copy of SuSE 6.3, which was an excellent release, to use at work. My employer reimbursed me. Also, during the first five or so years after I switched to Linux the only way to get good audio and video drivers was to buy them from entrepreneurs. Remember 4Front, the only way to get good sound on Linux, back in the day? They are still around: http://www.opensound.com/index.html
They supplied the only sound driver that worked in Linux, for my first two PCs that ran Linux.


Would I pay $100 to $200 for a release of Kubuntu LTS? In a heartbeat, as long as the repository was populated and maintained. I suspect that most Linux users would flee to a free system if the distro they've been using suddenly required a payment. And, there is nothing to prevent the user of a paid version to copy and pass their installation medium on to others. Ergo, the "Merch Store", tee-shirts and such.

Getting back to snapd ... besides the repository (and an occasional PPA, which I've not yet used in this release) I have 15 AppImages for various programs that I like to use. An AppImage does not use a daemon, does not need to be installed, and it is removed by merely deleting it.

Disclaimer: Aside from Chromium I have not installed or used any other snapd dependent package, that I am aware of. And since snapd no longer resides on my system I suspect that snapd dependent packages do not reside on it either.

[jglen490]

You shouldn't HAVE to install a snap, but it is an option - for now. Canonical is pressing the use of snaps, but I don't care

[Beerislife]

One of the first things I do in a terminal is

snap list

In KDE Neon and Kubuntu 20.04 there are no snaps installed so I follow that with:

sudo apt purge snapd

[mbohets]

Unfortunately you need the snaps if you want recent versions of certain applications, as the ones in the normal repositories are quite old (eg musescore), unless if you are prepared to compile and install from source of course.

[GreyGeek]

Listed below is a list of packages that depends on snapd. I have purged snapd and all of its loops, and Chromium. None of the items listed below are on my system and my system runs perfectly. IF I ever encounter an application which insists on installed snapd I shall not install it and seek alternatives. So far, I haven't needed to do that.

$ apt-cache rdepends snapd
snapd
Reverse Depends:
python3-ubuntu-image
xubuntu-desktop
xubuntu-core
vanilla-gnome-desktop
ubuntustudio-desktop-core
ubuntustudio-desktop
ubuntukylin-desktop
ubuntu-unity-desktop
ubuntu-snappy-cli
ubuntu-snappy
ubuntu-mate-desktop
ubuntu-mate-core
ubuntu-core-launcher
ubuntu-budgie-desktop
snapd-xdg-open
snapcraft
snap-confine
qml-module-snapd
plasma-discover-backend-snap
lxd
lubuntu-desktop
libsnapd-qt1
kubuntu-desktop
ember
cyphesis-cpp
chromium-browser
ubuntu-server