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Andor Kiss
Asked: 2020-01-31 07:32:22 +0800 CST

Install software from an AUTOPACKAGE <*.package> on 18.04

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Given that autopackage.org is now defunct, is it possible to install an "autopackage" in Ubuntu 18.04?

package-management

1 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    autopackages from autopackage.org have been replaced by flatpak ("the future of application distribution") packages from Flathub. Flathub is the home of hundreds of apps which can be easily installed on any Linux distribution.

    Flatpak installs, manages and runs sandboxed desktop application bundles. Application bundles run partially isolated from the wider system, using containerization techniques such as namespaces to prevent direct access to system resources. Resources from outside the sandbox can be accessed via "portal" services, which are responsible for access control; for example, the Documents portal displays an "Open" dialog outside the sandbox, then allows the application to access only the selected file.

    Each application uses a specified "runtime", or set of libraries, which is available as /usr inside its sandbox. This can be used to run application bundles with multiple, potentially incompatible sets of dependencies within the same desktop environment.

    The flatpak package from the default Ubuntu repositories contains the services and executables needed to install and launch sandboxed applications, and the portal services needed to provide limited access to resources outside the sandbox.

    In Ubuntu 18.04 and later open the terminal and type:

    sudo apt update 
sudo apt install flatpak
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

    In Ubuntu 16.04 open the terminal and type:

    sudo add-apt-repository ppa:alexlarsson/flatpak  
sudo apt update 
sudo apt install flatpak
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
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