Flatpak on Sailfish OS
 

This is to announce Flatpak support for Sailfish. Its raw on the edges, limited, but possible and, hopefully, will be available for your SFOS devices. With it, Flatpak allows you to use latest SDKs for your code development and running applications developed for Linux and distributed in this format.

Development is done via repositories at https://github.com/sailfishos-flatpak.

For issues and documentation see https://github.com/sailfishos-flatpak/main

Right now, Flatpak support is available for Sony Xperia Tama devices (unofficial port) with the hope that other devices will follow. Due to QtWayland limitations, only Qt/QML applications run well with Gdk apps refusing to start due to the absence of currently standard Wayland extensions.

For issues, see README at Github and its issue trackers.

Obligatory screenshots below showing KDE Plasma Mobile Web browser running on Sailfish.

Re: Flatpak on Sailfish OS
 

:eek: Amazing

Re: Flatpak on Sailfish OS
 

Unbelievable. Great work Rinigus, again. Thanks a lot, the community owes you a lot. :o

Re: Flatpak on Sailfish OS
 

The flatpak is unknown to me. What are the benefits? With "Make Mint faster" instructions the flatpak is one to be deleted for good because of... something. So what are the benefits of flatpak? Curious.

Re: Flatpak on Sailfish OS
 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatpak

In lay terms, it is a packaging format that allows you to run applications in a sandbox. As a result, your application sits in the same perceived environment regardless on whether it runs on Debian, Fedora, Gentoo, or, with the developed support, on Sailfish. There are limitations that make its use limited, but some we could maybe resolve.

Now, for us, it means ability to run KDE Plasma Mobile apps. In future, with Wayland compositor update, Gdk apps as well. In addition, it also allows to develop using Qt 5.12/5.13 already now.

There is a price to pay. Native look is not available, at least right now. Starting apps takes longer time as container has to be prepared. Keyboard requires special attention and a mod of the app before used. Hopefully, the latter can be resolved and we could use SFOS keyboard.

As a developer, I have distributed Pure Maps and OSM Scout Server via Flatpaks. As a result, I can package it in one place and have it on all desktop distributions. For native look, you have to package separately and write accordingly, as done for SFOS and Ubuntu Touch. For my apps, KDE Kirigami (as in Plasma Mobile) style is used for Flatpaks.

Re: Flatpak on Sailfish OS
 

There's no locale in OSM Scout Server flatpak?

Re: Flatpak on Sailfish OS
 

Thanks Rinigus, I understand now the benefits. Is this something that can be use also for Leste and N900? And longer starting times do not matter that much if the app works well after launching and if otherwise the application would be without reach with the device. Great work you do.

Re: Flatpak on Sailfish OS
 

Maybe. I don't know, tbh. never checked it. Should put into my todo list...

Re: Flatpak on Sailfish OS
 

As long as kernel is reasonably current (don't know what's reasonably current means over here), I presume it can work. But I know too little about Leste and N900 to make any specific comments

Re: Flatpak on Sailfish OS
 

There isn't. Works fine in Pure Maps flatpack.