SNAP, a door to non free software!

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Jaume
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Joined: 11/08/2014

Hi all.

Recently I installed snapd on my T7 machine. I was just curious.
I could install LibreOffice 6 without a hassle, and that was fine...

But, then I started looking at snapd docs and words like "store" instead of "repository" began to lit my screen... and I thought that it could be a very easy way to install non free software in Trisquel.

I made the try with a well known porprietary program (won't name it) executing

$ snap search <name-of-propietary-software>

...and there it was, ready to be installed in my system. With the hope to see that it was unavailable i tried to have more info about it:

$ snap info <name-of-propietary-software>

This showed me the version to be installed, and a short description, but nothing to tell me that it was not able to be installed.

I didn't try to install it, so I don't know if it installs at the end, nor if it works, but everything makes me think that it does.

So, if snapd is pointing to a "store" that can't be changed (for what I know), full of propietary software, I'm afraid that it violates the "fully free OS" principles, and it should be removed from repos.

Jaume.

jxself
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Joined: 09/13/2010

Obviously, if snap is available in Trisquel 8, then it'll point to a place managed by the Trisquel project and subject to all of the same policy criteria: https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-system-distribution-guidelines.html

loldier
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Joined: 02/17/2016

Are these apps alternatives for Skype and Spotify?

--Spreed
--Tizonia

##EDIT##
I tried installing Spotify, and it installs the snap. So it's not redirected to another free program. I only thought about this because cdda2wav redirects to icedax.

snap.gif
Jaume
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Joined: 11/08/2014

I know you are into Trisquel 8 final steps, and I am glad to see that you have this problem in mind, but Trisquel 7 has this problem.

I would try to correct it if I had the skills and/or the time (I have none, I'm afraid).

Meantime, I filed a bug (did not keep the number, sorry).

jxself
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Joined: 09/13/2010

Thanks for reporting the bug. It's # 23918 right here: https://trisquel.info/en/issues/23918

You should also send an email about it to report-nonfree @ fsf.org and get a GNU Buck for your efforts signed by RMS. More information about GNU Bucks are at https://www.gnu.org/help/gnu-bucks.en.html

onpon4
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Joined: 05/30/2012

Snap was the bane of my existence on Ubuntu 16.04. I couldn't figure out a way to disable it, and Software includes Snap packages (without an option to turn them off), so any time I tried to find a program that way I'd be inundated with proprietary Snap packages.

But Trisquel 8 won't have that problem. :)

loldier
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Joined: 02/17/2016

I now have Spotify. All it takes 'snap install spotify'. Trisquel 8.

'snap remove spotify' -- it's gone.

Screenshot at 2018-03-12 17:18:27.png snap_spotify.gif
ADFENO
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Joined: 12/31/2012

> I now have Spotify. All it takes 'snap install spotify'. Trisquel 8.

If your copy of SNAP really came from Trisquel 8, and you manage to
install Spotify by doing `snap install spotify' without needing to add
any other repository/store/whatever, then this installation of Spotify
*is* a bug. The bug is not the existance of SNAP.

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loldier
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Joined: 02/17/2016

One only needs to install snapd, which is in the repos, and then install the snap. That’s it. Installing anything proprietary has never been easier than this. There’s Skype a few commands away. Not quite like what one would expect from a free libre distro, such as Trisquel. Sadly, the OP is dead right. It’s an issue.

And yes, it’s T8. I swear, untinkered.

calher

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Joined: 06/19/2015

name at domain wrote ..
> I now have Spotify. All it takes 'snap install spotify'. Trisquel 8.

Wut. Screenshot?

chaosmonk

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I am a translator!

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Joined: 07/07/2017

It works (see screenshot). Spotify and other proprietary software are also recommended in Gnome Software Center (see other screenshot). I reported the latter as a licensing issue

https://trisquel.info/en/issues/23466

months ago, but had not actually attempted installing any proprietary to see if it would work. Apparently it does.

Even after running

$ snap remove spotify

Gnome Software still says it's installed. When I try to remove it within Gnome Software I get

"Detailed errors from the package manager follow: snapd returned status code 400: Bad Request"

Gnome Software is pretty buggy to begin with, so hopefully Spotify is indeed no longer installed. I may reinstall Trisquel to be safe though.

Perhaps snapd should be temporarily removed until this is issue fixed.

Screenshot from 2018-03-12 12-24-13.png Screenshot from 2018-03-12 11-50-40.png
aloniv

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Joined: 01/11/2011

How is this any different to pip or easy_install?

ADFENO
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Joined: 12/31/2012

> How is this any different to pip or easy_install?

As far as I know, it's not different from these, because all of those
three have external default repositories. Perhaps we have to seek help
from other free/libre system distribution projects since these patches
might be useful to all these projects.

The issue is also seen with npm. Note that I don't know if Trisquel's pip,
easy_install or npm have these issues, I only mentioned that they have
these issues by default because I already experienced this in other
distros a long time ago.

jxself
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Joined: 09/13/2010

There was a discussion of that on the gnu-linux-libre mailing list. The thread was "programming language package manager" if anyone wants to read it.

TL;DR: It's not any different and, to the extent that language-specific package managers contain non-free software, this same issue is raised and should be addressed. As you can see from the mailing list Guix is on it.