I am currently using Linux Mint (after a long stint of using MX Linux) after learning it handles Nvidia graphics cards flawlessly, which I am grateful for. Whatever grief I have given Ubuntu in the past, I take it back because when they make something work, it is solid.

Anyways, like most distros these days, Flatpaks show up alongside native packages in the package manager / app store. I used to have a bias towards getting the natively packed version, but these days, I am choosing Flatpaks, precisely because I know they will be the latest version.

This includes Blender, Cura, Prusaslicer, and just now QBittorrent. I know this is probably dumb, but I choose the version based on which has the nicer icon.

  • donuts@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    Flatpaks aren’t the only option in Silverblue: you can also layer packages using ‘rpm-ostree’ (requires a reboot though), and you can also use toolbx (or even better, distrobox) to create an easy-to-use container that you can do anything with. With distrobox you can install an app inside of a fedora/ubuntu/arch/other container, and then use a simple terminal command to expose that app to your host system as if it was installed natively.

    I’m on Silverblue and I have mostly flatpaks plus a handful of layered packages as my base system. Then I have a couple of distrobox ubuntu containers for software development (lots of libraries and build tools), music production (with Yabridge and Wine). Because the base system is immutable I’ve never had a problem that prevented my computer from booting, and if I ever do, it’s extremely easy to roll back to before the last update. I’ve had a couple of issues working with containers in the past, but not big ones, and much of that comes down to my own user error.

    I definitely recommend Silverblue for anyone who wants a rock solid, practically unbreakable Linux system.