=Motivation=
From https://flatpak.org/ and https://docs.flatpak.org/en/latest/introduction.html:
> Flatpak is a framework for distributing desktop applications across various Linux distributions. It has been created by developers who have a long history of working on the Linux desktop, and is run as an independent open source project.
Applications packaged as Flatpaks are directly available to users of a lot of Linux distributions (https://flatpak.org/setup/) thus bringing fresh KDE Apps for users independently of their Linux distribution of choice.
Flatpak is also the only application installation method available on the Steam Deck (https://www.steamdeck.com/en/tech) where the KDE Plasma desktop is pre-installed.
It also enables developers to easily provide test version of their applications for users to try out, report issue or validate that they have been solved.
Lots of KDE Apps are now available on Flathub (https://github.com/orgs/flathub/repositories?language=&q=org.kde) and their popularity is growing. For example for Kdenlive, see:
- https://beta.flathub.org/apps/details/org.kde.kdenlive
- or https://klausenbusk.github.io/flathub-stats/#ref=org.kde.kdenlive&interval=infinity&downloadType=installs%2Bupdates
=Plan=
Short term goals, most are already in progress:
- Bring as many KDE Apps as possible to Flathub.
- Enable CI in KDE GitLab infrastructure to:
- Build each KDE App as a Flatpak and publish it in the infrastructure
- Auto-update dependencies for KDE Apps packaged as Flatpaks
- Improve integration with Flatpak for KDE Apps: Most KDE Apps will work as-is in a Flatpak but some need tweaks or improvements to fully provide their functionnality.
Long term goals:
- Enable KDE App to be published directly by KDE on Flathub thus centralizing the work on KDE Infra alone and improving the user experience (a single place to file bugs and test new builds that fix those).
- Improve our documentation to make Flatpak packaging an integral part of the "Build your first KDE App experience".
- Improve our development environments (IDEs, KDevelop, Kate, etc.) to make working with applications packaged as Flatpak easy and the default.
- Join Flathub efforts to enable users to contribute financially to applications that they like so that we can redirect this support to KDE developers (see https://discourse.flathub.org/t/situation-report-new-flathub-website-work-app-verifications-logins-etc/2259).
=Community=
In general, work for this goal is very distributed as each application need to be looked at independently for fixes or improvements. The work on the CI setup and Infrastructure is more centralized.
There is a team of KDE developers and contributors on Flathub and in KDE (https://invent.kde.org/teams/flathub) that is maintaining KDE Apps on Flathub and already working on some of those goals. The community hangs out in: https://matrix.to/#/#flatpak:kde.org
We have some documentation already but it would need some love: https://community.kde.org/Guidelines_and_HOWTOs/Flatpak
=Risks and needs=
The primary "risk" for this goal is that we are unable to make progress on it.
=Champion=
I'm Timothée Ravier, I've been part of the Fedora & KDE communities for a long time and more involved since the last 2 to 4 years.
I'm a member of the KDE team on Flathub and already working alongside the other team members on those goals.
I have (co-)mentored or am currently (co-)mentoring projects related to this goal:
- a SoK project in 2022 to bring more KDE Apps to Flathub and improve our CI: https://community.kde.org/SoK/2022/StatusReport/Snehit_Sah
- a SoK project in 2022 to display Flatpak apps permissions in Discover: https://community.kde.org/SoK/2022/StatusReport/Suhaas_Joshi
- a GSoC project in 2022 to enable users to change permissions for Flatpak Apps in the settings: https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com/programs/2022/projects/TPLloS04
I'm a member of the Fedora KDE SIG and I maintain Fedora Kinoite, an immutable desktop OS based on Fedora, featuring the KDE Plasma desktop and focused on using applications packaged as Flatpaks: https://kinoite.fedoraproject.org/
=Interest=
This section is intended for people other than the Champion to sign up and show support for the Goal.
If you are interested to actively join the effort and do the work, add your name below (this does not count as voting for the Goal):