There is still no Linux app store

To be clear, I’m not complaining that we don’t have these aforementioned applications on the Linux desktop. That’s not the point. The point is “we” still don’t have a robust way for developers to monetise their application development work.

Most desktop Linux users run Ubuntu. Followed by others you’ve likely heard of like Arch, Fedora, Manjaro, SUSE and friends. Most users of these desktop Linux distributions have no baked-in way to buy software.

Similarly developers have no built-in route to market their wares to Linux desktop users. Having a capability to easily charge users to access software is a compelling argument to develop and market applications.

For sure, I can (and do) throw money at a patreon, paypal, ko-fi or buy a developer some coffee, beer or something from their Amazon wishlist. But I can’t just click “Buy” and “Install” on an app in a store on my Linux laptop.

Maybe one day all the ducks will be in a row, and I’ll be able to buy applications published for Linux, directly on my desktop. Until then, I’ll just keep looking longingly at those macOS app developers, and hoping.

pimento64,

This man is in desperate need of both tar and feathers

kingmongoose7877,

You mean tar and gzip?

BananaTrifleViolin,

The real "problem" is how you make it work without a monopoly system like Google's or Apple's or Steam or Microsoft. They have to varying extents made monopolies where app makers want to list in their store, and accept they take 30% of the revenue because they are the sole gatekeeper to a large number of users. That model doesn't work in Linux because you can't create a monopoly to force someone to use your store.

Microsoft keeps trying in Windows via sheer scale but UWA's are not a monopoly so people currently largely bypass it. Microsoft even now lets App makers keep every penny of money generated "in-app" (except for games) as it's desperate to try and grow. Canonical has tried it with Linux and has also failed because ultimately it isn't a monopoly and it's method of Debs as the article said didn't really work. Steam works cross platform because of sheer size and it's managed to make a convenient cross platform library which gradually locks users in to an extent, and also forces publishers to list it's game there. It's very difficult to get to that kind of scale to be compelling.

For an "App store" to work in Linux under the currently "accepted" business model, you'd need to find some way of making it a monopoly or compelling somehow so that users will buy in and the 30% price tag to App makers becomes impossible to ignore due to the scale. I can't see that happening. Google did it with Android by forking Linux and making it an entirely walled garden it controlled; the free route into that garden is there but is very marginal and you have to bypass security measures to get to it.

The only way I can see it working in a limited fashion in Linux is if someone makes an "at cost" model where the share of revenue taken by the app store is purely to maintain the store (including the payment system, any "drm" that might be needed etc). That sounds like the Flathub route. But I can't see it growing rapidly or being compelling for App makers to take a risk on - it'll probably take a long time to gradually grow and prove itself as a reliable way of monetising apps.

Whether or not we need monetised Apps in linux is a whole other question. For me personally, aside from Games, all the software I use on Windows and Linux is free OR a subscription service (such as Office paid for by work, or my Email, Password manager and Backup software which I pay for). On my phone, the only software I've ever bought has been low level - like a music player or a theme app; and that has been an engineered demand because Google has a monopoly, which largely keeps out the opensource community allowing app makers to step in. I bypass that now with F-droid. I accept I'm part of the exception in Android, but most users have that expectation in Linux and Windows.

I don't see a substantial "app store" type eco-system growing in those environments. If someone is willing to give it away for free as FOSS, then it leaves little room for App makers for low level software. The only route to make money is then the "premium" or value added models, and a lot of that is going subscription model - software as a service. App stores are largely the result of closed eco-systems; in an open eco-system like Linux and even Windows it just doesn't make much sense.

lea,

Steam.

Nefyedardu,

Games are the only software I purchase these days

tal,
tal avatar

The Steam store does have a section for non-game software. It's not very heavily-populated, but it's there.

https://store.steampowered.com/search/?category1=994&supportedlang=english&ndl=1

1,439 results match your search.

If I exclude non-Linux-native stuff (which will still generally run via Proton):

https://store.steampowered.com/search/?category1=994&os=linux&supportedlang=english&ndl=1

100 results match your search.

And because it has a standard set of libraries, it's probably the closest thing to a stable, cross-Linux-distro binary target out there, which I suspect most closed-source software would just as soon have.

You run your open-source stuff on the host distro, and run the Steam stuff targeting the Steam libraries.

RassilonianLegate,
@RassilonianLegate@mstdn.social avatar

@tal
I love valve, but I'm not sure I'm comfortable turning them into such a key way to get software on Linux

tal, (edited )
tal avatar

Well, whoever does that for closed-source software is going to basically have to do what they have done. Probably some kind of cross-distro fixed binary target, client software to do updates, probably some level of DRM functionality like steamlib integration.

If it's not Steam, it's gonna be something that has a lot of the same characteristics.

Personally, I kind of wish that there was better sandboxing for apps from Steam (think what the mobile crowd has) since I'd rather not trust each one with the ability to muck up my system, but given how many improvements Valve's driven so far, I don't feel like I can complain at them for that. A lot of the software they sell is actually designed for Windows, which isn't sandboxed, and given the fact that not all the infrastructure is in place (like, you'd need Wayland, I dunno how much I'd trust 3d drivers to be hardened, you maybe have to do firejail-style restrictions on filesystem and network access, and I have no idea how hardened WINE is), it'd still take real work.

Their use of per-app WINE prefixes helps keep apps that play nicely from messing each other up, but it isn't gonna keep a malicious mod on Steam Workshop or something from compromising your system.

averyminya,

You know, that probably is the closest thing Linux has. The only thing is it’s not preinstalled and I wonder how many of the actual programs are Linux compatible.

But otherwise, yeah it’s more an app store than the package manaer

Limitless_screaming,
Limitless_screaming avatar

What's the benefit of having things preinstalled? It's pretty easy to install stuff, even through the command line.

averyminya,

If the idea of the app store we are talking about is like Windows or Apple, then it would include occasional OS related programs. So if it weren’t preinstalled that would be harder, that’s all.

e0qdk,
e0qdk avatar

It's preinstalled if you buy a Steam Deck -- which by default runs a corporate backed (i.e. by Valve) Arch-derived distro called SteamOS. I bought one. If you hook it up like a regular computer (plug in mouse, keyboard, and external monitor with the dock) damned near everything I've tried has worked acceptably. Some games need a little fiddling around (e.g. installing video codecs or CJK language support or changing the proton version from the default setting to "experimental") and I've run into bugs with full screen or the on screen keyboard a couple times, but I have yet to find a game I straight up could not play even if it was marked as unsupported. (I expect some games with obnoxious DRM/anti-cheat or that need ridiculously powerful cutting edge GPU specs probably wouldn't work well though, but haven't really tested the limits in that direction.)

averyminya,

Oh definitely, the Steam Deck is a great example of this - the preinstalled package manager handles desktop side updates while Valve handles the Steam side updates. You could never use the package manager and know none the wiser, and likewise you could pretty much never boot into gaming mode and it’s still all handled for you via package manager. Love my Steam Deck. I’ve experienced basically the same as you, pretty much nothing I’ve thrown at it fails, unless I were to cheat and try VR or something.

The only actual thing that made me sad was I planned on using it for portable Rocksmith but there are some pretty major issues with audio, even in a Windows install, but I was pretty much expecting that since the software already has issues. But that’s fine, it does stellar emulating switch games :)

ares35,
ares35 avatar

many distros have something a kin to a software 'store'. the strength of open source, where everyone is free to 'do their own thing', is also why a central 'app store' for linux won't happen without a major shift in how things are done. there's simply way too much fragmentation.

something like snap or flathub would have to become the dominant distribution mechanism for linux applications in order for a 'store' to have the user base to make it possible. canonical is trying with snaps but ubuntu's marketshare is far from enough to make it a reality, and all they're doing for their efforts is pushing some users away.

steam is an alternative. it is a proven and time-tested multi-platform distribution channel. there are some 'non game' titles on it, not many, but there are some. and it would be up to valve to market it differently, and perhaps change the pricing structures to make it more appealing to developers of non-entertainment titles. 30% off the top is just too fucking much for smaller developers to give up.

raubarno,

Software was not meant to be someone’s ‘property’ that can be bought or sold. Everyone has a right to free download, modify and share, that’s the point of GNU and Linux.

Montagge,
Montagge avatar

Bill Gates would like to know your location

RandoCalrandian,
RandoCalrandian avatar

Bill gates would like to know everyones location

That’s what the whole windows telemetry enshitification nonsense is about

palordrolap,

Linux Mint has Software Manager, that is pretty close to an app store.
It's installed by default. Some other distros might have something similar.

(Versions since that article was written can have an "ad" picture at the top for a recommended package, which, somewhat bizarrely, does make it look even more friendly than the interface shown.)

True, it's not a Linux-wide common interface, but then the gap between two distros can be as wide as between commercial operating systems, and it would be foolish to expect their app stores to have a common interface.

joojmachine,

ITT a lot of people who don’t read anything but the title

SimonJ,

The AUR does exactly this, nothing else needed.

theshatterstone54,

Well, elementary OS had that implemented, and Flathub was trying to make that a thing, but I’m not sure what happened there

anothermember,

I would say that’s more of a feature than a bug.

I think I would have more of a problem with the centralisation implied by this proposal than I would with paying for apps; a centralised “store” gives too much power to one organisation - but if you could choose to download one I don’t think that’s too much of a problem. But then we already have Steam for that.

ulkesh,
@ulkesh@beehaw.org avatar

“store” - n. - a quantity or supply of something kept for use as needed

A store doesn’t have to mean that something must be for sale. There are numerous Linux app stores that all function exactly as they are designed.

anothermember,

The term “store” grates on me a bit, until recently we just called them repositories/repos, I think that’s a better name.

ulkesh,
@ulkesh@beehaw.org avatar

It’s really just semantics. And the article just seems like a nonsensical argument, to me.

kglitch,

Elementary OS has a pay-what-you-can app store https://appcenter.elementary.io/

Sentau,

Well there were/are attempts to make flatpak with flathub an universal app store on linux. If I remember correctly, there were some ideas mooted on adding paid apps in to flathub.

technologicalcaveman,

Ow my head

Nefyedardu,

Is there anything stopping something like connecting your credit card to GNOME Software Manager and then putting a big fat "donate" button next to the "install" button? I imagine there are legal considerations.

GustavoM,
@GustavoM@lemmy.world avatar

It’s called “The package manager”. :^)

  • All
  • Subscribed
  • Moderated
  • Favorites
  • •
  • linux@lemmy.ml
  • DreamBathrooms
  • magazineikmin
  • GTA5RPClips
  • vwfavf
  • thenastyranch
  • Youngstown
  • khanakhh
  • slotface
  • ngwrru68w68
  • rosin
  • mdbf
  • kavyap
  • InstantRegret
  • ethstaker
  • megavids
  • everett
  • tester
  • cisconetworking
  • osvaldo12
  • Durango
  • cubers
  • tacticalgear
  • normalnudes
  • Leos
  • modclub
  • anitta
  • provamag3
  • JUstTest
  • All magazines
    •