Repositories and shops
Locating and adding apps from the GUI.
In keeping with this Roundup in general, we’re placing a greater emphasis on the installation of applications rather than system components particularly.
Reviews and ratings are important in this respect. They can give you a heads-up if a current release exhibits regressions, and they usually contain comments about the implementation of that package within that particular packaging system.
It’s worth considering the packaging system when evaluating a Linux distribution. The ideal situation, when talking about application installation, is when the distribution has a shop application that includes Snap and Flatpak as well, giving the user maximum flexibility. On the other hand, we appreciate native GUI tools that are specific to a given format, too.
If the shop application of a distribution doesn’t support all the packaging formats that you’re interested in, you are stuck with having to check all the channels separately yourself. Multiple installation channels also give you a second chance when an application isn’t working properly.