Distribute on different Linux platforms and stores

[nixfu]

Since you guys seem great about trying to maintain Linux support in the client, I would suggest you look into creating a Linux AppImage package.

It makes supporting multiple Linux distros MUCH easier.

https://appimage.org/

This actually might be a way to package the existing client to work on newer systems that come with Qt5 now but still make them able to run the client because the AppImage can contain its own Qt4 libs inside it. You could create the AppImage on older Ubuntu with Qt4, but people would be able to run it on their newer Ubuntu 20, or Arch Linux systems too.

It would take some of the pressure off having to immediately migrate to Qt5 for instance.

[antonsviridenko]

Porting to Qt5 is already in progess and should be finished soon.

[nixfu]

This also eliminates the need to create debs, rpms, etc. An AppImage can basically run on any linux system.

[antonsviridenko]

Yes, but I personally pefer more traditional approach to packaging :)

[nixfu]

Fair enough, but you don't support non ubtuntu/debian today and this would make you able to support almost any distro. I have been using more and more 3rd party apps as AppImages and finding it a great solution for teams that have to support Linux clients.

I guess I will be waiting until its done porting to Qt5 because I have to compile it myself since I don't use a deb based Linux system.

[curtishall]

Why would AppImage preferred over something like snap - https://snapcraft.io/?

(I'm not trying to be difficult, I'm curious.)

[nixfu]

SNAP's (and Flatpack) are ok, but I find them a hassle because they require daemons and extra software to be installed to use them, and some other support like a ton of nested filesystems to be mounted etc. I

I personally find AppImage to be better because it is 100% self-contained with zero dependency issues, and no requirements other than to download the .AppImage, set to executable and run it. It is basically the Linux equivalent of what is a "portable app" on Windows.

AppImage is becoming the most common way for things like CryptoCoin wallet programs to be distributed because it is more trustworthy to get it directly from the developer than SNAP's etc that are distributed out of repos.

[tstivers1990]

Why would AppImage preferred over something like snap - https://snapcraft.io/?

(I'm not trying to be difficult, I'm curious.)

Flatpak is fine. Snap, however, is vendor lock in from Canonical. There can only be one snap store, unlike Flatpak where the server code is available and anyone can create their own Flatpak store. If you're going to target one, I would target Flatpak, as you can install Flatpak on any distro you can install Snap on anyway.

[bdlukaa]

We currently support AppImage, Tarball and Ubuntu/Debian. You can download the executables here.

For now, we don't distribute to the stores, such as Snap and Flatpack. That is on the plans.