This is the best way to install apps on Linux that you aren’t using
This is the best way to install apps on Linux that you aren’t using
https://www.howtogeek.com/better-way-to-install-apps-on-linux/
Publish Date: 2026-02-19 08:30:00
Source Domain: www.howtogeek.com
As great as Linux can be if you’re concerned about security, privacy, and customizability, there are a few things that could be improved. One of the best quality-of-life changes I’ve made has been switching to Flatpak to install most of my apps.
Installing applications the normal way on Linux
On most Linux distros, you install your packages from a central repository. On Debian-based systems, this is done using the apt command in the Terminal or whichever GUI app store is included with your distro. The same applies to variants of Fedora or Arch, except they use DNF and pacman respectively.
There are a few disadvantages to this approach.
First, if you distro hop, you’re confronted with the issue of different syntax for each system. They’re usually similar, but not identical. In some ways, that actually makes it harder to keep them separate.
You also run into the issue presented by distro fragmentation. One distro built on Ubuntu might be updated and running the latest packages, while others may be running several versions behind. That plays out across dozens or hundreds of distros.
If you’re a frequent distro hopper, it can be a problem. Even if you’re not, if you’re on a distro that follows a slower update cycle, you may find that the applications in your repo lag behind the mainstream release.
There is a solution: Flatpak. Flatpak allows you to install apps from a single location, Flathub, that’ll work on almost any Linux distro out there.
…
Source
