Many Linux flavours and open source OSes have their own software stores, Alexander Tolstoy wonders if it’s worth your time browsing their wares.
is going on a shopping spree, but this time it’s to open source software stores!
Alexander Tolstoy
HOW WE TESTED…
There are several criteria that enable us to make a fair assessment of software stores. The first and the most obvious one is whether it actually works and does the job it’s meant for. This isn’t as silly as it sounds because – as we’ll find out later–some stores have difficulties in installing software.
Another criteria is how much information does a store provide on its ‘product card’. For inexperienced or non techsavvy users that can be a crucial feature that can tell a story about a program.
Next, we take a look at a store’s product offering, which reflects our expectation of finding enough high-quality applications for work and play. Having several software sources and various package formats available in a store is certainly the right way to gain extra points in our test, and here we’re looking at Flatpaks, Snaps and AppImages.
How an app store looks and feels was also taken into account because essentially it’s a good indication of how user-friendly a store is. Let’s dig into some details…