Shoud I install Firefox via rpm-ostree install?

Bluefin
1

Hey,

I have two options to install i.e. Firefox-Browser:

  • Flatpak
  • rpm-ostree (Native Installation)

The flatpak-version has some downsides (cannot run temporary extension, keepass, …). The advantage is, that it is sanboxed.

What’s your opinition? How to you choose how to install gui-apps? What’s the best bluefin way? (to get updated, etc…) I do not want to opt out from bluefin features.

thanks

1 Like
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You wouldn’t lose on support either way but consider this:

  1. The UBlue philosophy is keeping the base image as clean as possible. You should use containers unless absolutely necessary.
  2. The Fedora version of Firefox is missing nonfree video codecs that the flatpak has integrated. They are in RPMFusion.
  3. At the end of the day, there’s no right or wrong way. How you install packages depends entirely on your needs. The distro should accommodate your workflow, not restrict it
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Best way is to see the recommendations directly from the UBlue team (it says Bazzite, but it applies to Bluefin/Aurora).

rpm-ostree is “not recommended, use as a last resort”.

Package formats ranked from most recommended for daily usage:

  1. Flatpak - Universal package format using a permissions-based model; use for most graphical applications.
  2. ujust - Custom scripts that can install applications maintained by Bazzite & Universal Blue
  3. Homebrew - Install applications intended to run inside of the terminal.
  4. Distrobox - Intended for legacy applications that do not support Flatpak and Homebrew, or for use as development boxes.
  5. AppImage - Portable universal package format that relies on specific host libraries at a system-level.
  6. rpm-ostree - Layer Fedora packages at a system-level (not recommended, use as a last resort)!
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Though docs say that Distrobox is intended for legacy apps and dev stuff, I find it very good for GUI apps that may have some quirks in flatpak versions - like browsers.

Idk about Firefox specifically but Vivaldi isn’t very good on flatpak. So I installed it in Fedora 40 in Distrobox and exported to host - works like a charm, way better than flatpak.

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Or for user level application that is not available as flatpak.

I see it:

  • rpm-ostree for system level programs - like e.g. network packet analyzer Wireshark, disk encryption tool VeraCrypt etc. that requires root access to the computer program to work
  • distrobox (BoxBuddy GUI tool) for user level programs (that are not in flatpak or does not work the best in flatpak).

Distrobox may be difficult to use for beginner level, but there is BoxBuddy that is GUI tool that hides all of the complexity of distrobox in simple to use GUI. Few days ago I have written detailed instructions how to install ART via BoxBuddy. I think it should be clear how to install Firefox using BoxBuddy from those instructions.

Distrobox (and BoxBuddy) creates a container for all of the software that will be installed and from container it allows to access /home/“user” directory from your Blufin host machine.

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