Discover and the built in package manager

I recently install the Discover in order to use the flatpak, but the discover didn’t recognize the package installed from the built in package manager which make it confusing. What should I do to make them compatible? Help me please.

Start here: Flatpak

But also I recommend only to use it if the native Distro mirror version if it is available.

Are you referring to repo packages?

As pacman does not support flatpak: Are you referring to flatpak installed using pamac?

If you are referring to repo packages - you will need the package name packagekit-qt6 as well as discover with flatpak support - this is entirely unsupported :frowning_face:

Graphical

Warning: PackageKit opens up system permissions by default, and is otherwise not recommended for general usage. See FS#50459 and FS#57943.
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Pacman/Tips_and_tricks#Graphical

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This is wrong.

Discover is basically designed to mimic the Software Center in Gnome… it isn’t a bad idea, but it relies on pkgkit which is a compromise - this was rejected by Arch.

Pamac GUI manages Flatpaks, so Discover isn’t required for a GUI.

Also, it is fairly easy to manage flatpaks using the terminal, it is good at searching for software (unlike Pamac GUI sadly) so overall for flatpaks, konsole is your friend.

You didn’t really mention WHICH flatpak you’re interested in, so it’s hard to help… we don’t really know what you want to do.

Your stated aim ‘to make them compatible’ is a very lofty aim, you need to take control of the KDE Plasma development team, as well as the Arch devs, and tell them to change their philosophies.

Manjaro is piggy in the middle, so no chance there…

However, going the Arch way, it’s best to use specific tools for specific jobs. Software is best searched via your browser if you wish to include more options - given that pamac can’t search as well as the flatpak terminal search…

Try it, open your ‘add/remove’ GUI, and type in ‘plexhtpc’.

Then open Konsole (Ctrl_Alt_T) and type flatpak install plexhtpc.

When you update, you can create your own script or alias… but generally many people wouldn’t argue too much with the following:

sudo flatpak -Syu && pamac upgrade && flatpak upgrade

Another issue with Discover would be that it would try to run your upgrades, but it would likely suppress some very important messages in the process.

We don’t like Discover much :wink: my opinion is that it encourages mindless ‘browse and click to install whatever software looks pretty’…

So I don’t make them compatible, instead, I only use Flatpak when the package I want can’t be found in pacman? I will keep that in mind. Thank you :kissing_heart:

No? I guess. The “recongnize” thing I referred is about Discover(flatpak) doesn’t know the package I installed using pacman, so I can install the package again using flatpak, eventually replace the original package.

I haven’t figure out how it affect the system. But I been told that’s bad to have two manager manage the same package.

I am just trying to make discover understand that “oh, this package exist, and I didn’t install it, so other manager managing it, I should just mark it as “exist” and leave it to be.” instead of “ignoring the package installed, and replacing it quietly after I hit the install buttom”

I wonder if this makes sence :point_right::point_left::smiling_face_with_tear: Sorry for my poor expression.

And my Discover doesn’t have that warning sign either :cold_sweat: did I broke my system already?

pacman does not install flatpak distributed packages.

pacman only installs the runtime - flatpak.

If you are referring to the Manjaro GUI application - Pamac - with the flatpak plugin enabled then Discover should recognize the an application installed as a flatpak.

Discover does not recognize any package from the official repository (at least not default).

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Oh! I see :point_right::point_left:

I guess I’m gonna keep using pacman.

That sounds dangerous I’m gonna delete it right away :cold_sweat:

Actually… I use discover to discover games that can run on arm linux, now I am feeling ashamed to “browse and click to install whatever software looks pretty” :flushed::flushed::flushed: But I promise to correct this behavior ASAP :smiling_face_with_tear:

Thank you for the update script! :kissing_heart:

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Aww :smiling_face_with_tear:
I get it now. I will keep that in mind.
And thank you for being so patient with my poor expressions :smiling_face_with_tear:
Again Thank you so much! :kissing_heart::kissing_heart:

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Pacman is the best, and handlers like pamac will include AUR packages - which is fine, but for extra safety we like Pacman first.

Flatpak comes further down the list (depending on the package - sometimes AUR is available and better, sometimes folks choose Flatpak for other reasons).

Snaps, fortunately, were not mentioned - offensive language is generally discouraged :wink:

Haha well I think browsing in Firefox gets me further… I hadn’t realised you were on ARM though, not sure how much that changes the game…

While this specific topic is generic, it is best to keep arm devices in the arm section, therefore I have moved the topic and tagged with plasma.

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Wait! Don’t
I am indeed using ARM, but this problem is not arm exclusive, every one try using pacman, flatpak and discover may run into this problem, right? :smiling_face_with_tear:

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I’m sure this is extremely common - especially with folks not hanging around in forums.

I would be happy with Discover if it worked in the same way that Overseerr works for my media content… with categories and contents with lovely thumbnails. I can browse and search by titles, contents/descriptions (actors/studio - whatever I like) and find results. Those results then might have multiple sources, which are also clearly displayed, and if I wish to install then the request is sent forward to the relevant linked resource. If it would just pop up a konsole window and do it that way with whatever font/theme you’d chosen it would be nice.

Then the other issue is that for pacman downloads, pacman is still the tool for updating… not the discover application… there’s a more complete upgrade tool called ‘Topgrade’, but I’m not sure how well it handles so many varied sources (like ‘get new stuff’ in settings modules).

So really, the sad part of Discover is that it’s tied down, it’s not simply a front end - so it can’t be set in preferences to fit in with Arch, or Manjaro, by using some alternative backend.

Haha no, not that simple… maybe the AUR will have it too.

Ok, my case was Plex - I used plex-home-theater until PlexHTPC came along, but obviously for Ubuntu and not for humans…

It appeared in AUR, a script which downloaded the snap and installed it nicely.

Later on, the AUR entry vanished and it appeared on Flatpak.

So if you want PlexHTPC today, you should go with the Flatpak, last year the AUR…

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I’m confused :smiling_face_with_tear::smiling_face_with_tear::smiling_face_with_tear: so I should try pacman → AUR → flatpak?

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Don’t overthink it in advance. I’m just mentioning the journey I had with Plex home theater and then PlexHPTC.

Things can change, and it is not set in stone… as a general rule, I like repos best, but Flatpak and AUR can change places… the minute you think you know where they are, someone will change their packaging.

GIMP, for example, is now in the repos… but last month I used the flatpak.

gimp has always been in the repo — I don’t think there’s any distribution not carrying it, given that it’s one of the flagship applications of GNU/Linux.

It just wasn’t version 3.0 yet that was in the repo. :wink:

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Well yes, that’s kinda what I was talking about with my lazy typing… Gimp 3.0 threatened to be appimage, then flatpak, and then it seeped through to the repos.

:vulcan_salute:

The main point being that whatever the strengths and weaknesses and preferences we have for the different avenues, in the end it’s all superficial because other factors can reverse most decisions… AUR can be preferable to flatpak IF we’re sure it’s good, and the reverse is also true.

I have lots of AUR stuff installed here, and I personally avoid Snap, FlatPak and AppImage like the plague. :wink:

I’m sure - I’m sure that you don’t also need PlexHTPC on tap :wink: Appimage is also the cleanest/easiest way to test something though… I used Gimp 3 Appimage for a week before the Flatpak came along.