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.
Steam.
Games are the only software I purchase these days
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
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
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.
@tal
I love valve, but I’m not sure I’m comfortable turning them into such a key way to get software on Linux
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.
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
What’s the benefit of having things preinstalled? It’s pretty easy to install stuff, even through the command line.
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.
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.)
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 :)
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.