There are a huge number of applications available for the Linux platform for different use cases. Some of these applications are dedicated for a specific distribution, but most of these applications can be used under any Linux distribution. In this second part I will explain which package formats are available for you to be used in Zorin OS, what their differences are, and how to install them.
Different ways to install applications
As mentioned in the introduction, there are several ways to install applications under Zorin OS. You may be wondering why there isn’t just one way. In a world where software is not developed for commercial reasons but from an open source community perspective, there are many people involved with many opinions that can lead to many different approaches and different solutions This can be a good thing, but it can also lead to confusion and decision-stress for the end user, especially for beginning Linux users. The good thing is that there are multiple levels of convenience, simplicity and safety, but the question is what approach is the best for you. Some users just need stable software that they can install in a simple way, similar to a Google Play store or an Apple App store. Other users feel the need to always install the latest bleeding edge versions of software, perhaps those even still under development, and find it less important that software is stable. That is why there are different package formats for different users.
For Zorin OS we can distinguish the following software package formats:
- .deb package
- Flatpak
- Snap
- Appimage
Software installation via a .deb file
When you use a Linux distribution that is based on Ubuntu, like Kubuntu, Ubuntu Budgie, Zorin OS and of course Ubuntu itself, it uses software packages in the .deb file format. When you use the Software center or the Synaptic Package Manager, you are actually installing software via these .deb files.
A lot of developers that don’t have their software in the Ubuntu repository offer their applications via .deb files available to download from their websites. Take for example the .deb file for Google Chrome, which you can download from https://www.google.com/chrome/, or the .deb file for the Vivaldi browser, which you can download from https://vivaldi.com/download/.
1) Open your browser and go to https://vivaldi.com/download/
2) Select the 64 bit .deb file for Debian/Ubuntu.
3) When the download is finished go to your Downloads folder and double click the Vivaldi .deb file.
First you get a warning, because it is an unknown source.
4) Clik on Run Anyway.
A package installer opens.
5) Click on “Install” and the software will be installed.
That’s all. The Vivaldi browser can be searched for and started now via the main menu.
Alternative ways for software distribution
As you may have concluded from the previous approaches described in this lesson, the .deb format is a bit restrictive for people who want the latest and greatest and for developers who have a high frequency of bringing new releases of their software to their users. A repository with a two year update cycle can be limitative. But also the fact that developers need to create different versions of their software for Debian/Ubuntu based or Fedora/OpenSUSE based distributions to reach their users, can become a problem. And what about all the dependencies that are needed when a developer is basing their application on a .deb file to make the software run. All this resulted in some alternative approaches that are more generic, that can be used for all distributions and that can always offer updated software with their dependencies included. Let’s have a look at Flatpak, Snap and Appimage solutions.
Software installation via Flatpak
Instead of the need to create separate dedicated .deb files for Debian and Ubuntu based distributions and .rpm files for Red Hat, Fedora and derivatives such as CentOS and openSUSE, with the relatively new Flatpak file format you have distribution independent packages. These packages run on whatever distribution without the necessary effort to connect the application to the right dependencies and libraries. Because as a developer you use container technology you pre-bundle the required libraries with your app, so you always know your application will work on every platform and you offer the user of the application a hassle-free solution. As a developer, with Flatpak you just create one application for the entire Linux desktop domain, and on top of that you are in control of updates as well. Flatpak can be compared with Snap, which will be described in the next section, but Snap is backed by only one company while Flatpak is independent community based. In Zorin OS, Flatpak is supported out of the box without the necessary additional settings or adjustments. You can find Flatpaks directly in the software center, but there is even a software store comparable with the Google Play store or the Microsoft Store where lots of Flatpak based applications are gathered and ready to download.
Let’s have a look at the software center first.
1) Click on the Zorin OS main menu item to open the application main menu and search for the Software center.
Let’s try to install a Flatpak based app.
2) Search for Telegram.
Here you see the option to install Telegram from Flathub.
Another way to find Flatpak based applications is directly via the Flathub store, which is a nice store, with clear categories, visuals and instructions .
1) Via your browser go to https://flathub.org/home.
Something like the following screen will be presented to you.
If you know the name of an application, you can directly search for it. But if you just want to browse through the categories that is possible as well. The main more generic categories are Popular Apps, New & Updated Apps, Editor’s Choice Apps and Editor’s Choice Games. Here you can click on See more to show all the apps in a specific category. On top of the screen you see the option Browse the apps. Via this option you can find applications via more specific categories: All, Audio & Video, Developer Tools, Education, Games, Graphics & Photography, Communication & News, Productivity, Science, Settings and Utilities.
As an example let’s pick the Media Center application Kodi. You can directly search for it via the search function or click on the category Audio & Video.
2) Search for Kodi and click on the Kodi icon.
Now the Kodi details screen opens. Here you find a description, links to the website, Donate, Help, Issues and Translations. Some additional information informs you about the last update, version, developer and publisher. At the bottom you find the command line instructions to install the Flatpak and to run the application. At the top of the screen you find an Install button.
3) Click on the Install button.
4) A file tv.kodi.Kodi.flatpakref will be saved in your Downloads folder.
5) If the download is finished, search for the file and double click it.
6) An installer screen opens and here you can click on Install.
Software installation via Snap
Snap is a software package format created by Canonical, the company behind the Ubuntu Linux distribution. A Snap package has bundled all of its dependent components and libraries, so the software can be used on most Linux distributions. A software developer that offers an application via Snap doesn’t need to worry about creating different versions for Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, etc. Another great thing is that Snap based applications are automatically being updated. And there is even a dedicated software store comparable with the Google Play store or the Microsoft Store where all Snap based applications are available and ready to download.
Like with Flatpak, Zorin OS does support the Snap format out of the box. Snap and Flatpak both function in a similar way, but are also different. But both can be installed and used on all kinds of distributions. So let’s install a Snap based application.
1) Go to https://snapcraft.io
2) Here you can search for applications in different categories, like Developer, Games, Video and Music. Let’s search for Spotify.
3) Click on Install.
4) What you see here is some information on how to install the Snap package. Because Snap support is part of Zorin OS, just click on View in the desktop store.
5) When you see a pop up with a text about allowing to open the Snap with Software, just click on Open Link.
6) Click on Install.
Software installation via Appimage
Software distributed as AppImage is probably the most simple solution for the end user as it is not required to actually install the software. You just download an application, convert it to executable, and you can run it from whatever location you like. It doesn’t matter if you use a Debian/Ubuntu based distribution or other distros like Arch or Fedora. It runs everywhere. And as the AppImage is a file that contains the application and all of its dependencies, you know it will always run as it was designed.
More and more developers are creating AppImages to distribute their software. Some of them are offering their AppImages directly from their website, like Krita and digiKam. So let’s try the AppImage of the application Krita.
1) Go to https://krita.org/en/download/krita-desktop/.
Here you see different download options. AppImage is one of them.
2) Click on Linux 64-bit AppImage and the download starts.
3) When the download finished go to the Downloads folder.
4) Move the .appimage file for example to your Desktop.
5) Right click on the .appimage file and select Properties.
6) Click on the tab Permissions.
7) Select Allow executing file as program and close the screen.
8) Now double click on the .appimage file and Krita will start.
Final words
In this second part of the lesson on application distribution and formats, I explained several application packaging formats. I have a preference for both Flatpak and Snap because it is more convenient, but others will disagree with me and prefer the classic .deb format, because of the smaller file size and the relatively faster startup times. I hope it has become clear that there are different formats and that they all have their own advantages and disadvantages.
Go to the Zorin OS Course overview:
Zorin OS Course – Overview of all lessons
Note: This course was written some years ago based on Zorin OS 16.1, but it still fits mostly fine with the most recent 18.1 version. I am currently writing a new book on the most recent Zorin OS, so keep checking this website for updates if you are interested.
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