Ubuntu installers?

[Liam Proven]

On Fri, 6 Jan 2023 at 01:13, Owen Thomas <owen.paul.thomas at gmail.com> wrote:

> Ooph... If that were true, then that's one more than there needs to be by my estimate, and that's bewildering.

No.

They are different tools for different jobs.

Snap is a cross-distro packaging tool.

Apt is for 1 specific distro.

I described what Snap is for a few weeks ago. The thread was titled
"Snap and modern software (was: Remove /snap directory)"

Snaps run on anything with Snap support. Ubuntu maintains 1 snap of
Firefox and it runs on about 4-5 different versions of Ubuntu: the
same snap works all currently-supported LTS versions and on all live
short-term versions too.

It can also, if you want, run on Fedora or Debian or openSUSE or whatever.

Over simplified:

[1] Apt is a tool for handling .DEB format packages. Ubuntu builds the
.DEBs -- they are the bricks.

[2] Then it builds versions of Ubuntu from those bricks. A given .DEB
only works on that specific version of Ubuntu. You can't install a
22.10 .DEB on 22.04.

[3] There is now a newer level: Snaps. Snaps are built from .DEBs but
one Snap can run on 18.04, and 20.04, and 22.04, and on 22.10.

[4] Snaps can also run on other different distros that don't use .DEB
format at all.

As an aside:

[5] There is also a version of Ubuntu built entirely from Snaps:
Ubuntu Core. It's for embedded devices, like digital signs. It only
works with Snaps. This is why Snap has the edge over Red Hat's
competing Flatpak format: you can't build a distro from Flatpaks: they
only work for GUI desktop apps.


> Still: snap, rpm, deb, yum, etc... This is not encouragement.

You are conflating tools from different distros.

Yum has been replaced with DNF. DNF works with RPMs. Both are Red Hat tools.

Apt works with .DEB. Both are Debian/Ubuntu tools.

You can compare Apt to Dnf if you want, sure, but they are rival tech
from rival companies.

> Once software is installed, one appears to have to recall the package manager that was used if one wants to uninstall it later. That thought induces nausea too.

No, because:

> And what type of beast is the Ubuntu Software Centre?

It's the answer to your previous question.

You don't use the CLI. You use this nice friendly software store. Then
you don't need to remember.

> Why does searching through it regularly appear never to end?

Works for me.

> Can't something be done about this?

It's just you.

> This is called a winge. Perhaps airing my winges will be a productive exercise for if I don't, then how do I know these winges have been aired?

Where I come from there is an "h" in "whinge".

That's about all I have to say to that, though. Sorry.

> I value your ability to wade through the tedium so I don't have to. You have my blessing and are doing a good job; please continue.

Thanks!

-- 
Liam Proven ~ Profile: https://about.me/liamproven
Email: lproven at cix.co.uk ~ gMail/gTalk/FB: lproven at gmail.com
Twitter/LinkedIn: lproven ~ Skype: liamproven
UK: (+44) 7939-087884 ~ Czech [+ WhatsApp/Telegram/Signal]: (+420) 702-829-053