hi, im new to Linux, and i think Zorin is the best transision from Windows, so now i want to learn something:
whats the difference between installing software from "Software app" and the downloaded one from official website? i thought its better download from Software app because it tailored for that OS, am i correct ? but somehow, the very first app that i installed (Anydesk) behave incorrectly because it cant run automatically after OS reboot, so i have to manually run/open it after get into OS, which is not the default behaviour in Windows.
then, i try to uninstall it, download from the official website, then install it using Ubuntu version. it runs perfect, behave the same as i know from Windows -able to automatically run in startup.
to my curiosity, i recheck in Software app, and it says Anydesk hasnt not yet been installed, which i think its wrong, because its running at the moment.
Considering both of app is the same version (in About tab), but got different treatment from Zorin OS, so my question is: if i want to install other software (lets say OnlyOffice), should i download it from Software App, or download it from official web?
In Linux world there are different package manager available to install and manage an application. Most popular ones apt , flatpak and snap.
apt works in debian/ubuntu based distros. It install an application in the native format thus there are no issues while using these application.
However flatpak and snap handle the things differently. There is already a thread here that explains how they work: Packaging formats and their use in Zorin OS . These formats sometimes may not give appropriate results as per the users need due to their sandboxed nature.
Any desk is available on the Software store as flatpak but in the official website they provide it in .deb pacage.
deb packages are also great they provide you the app in native format and these packages can be managed with apt. Since Zorin is based on Ubuntu, the deb file you got from anydesk's website works smoothly in Zorin.
Next time, when you use Software store in install an app, in the app description page look for the option source . If it's available for the app that you are trying to install then I suggest to select Zorin os package from it's menu then install it.
You should also install gdebi (Gnome Debian Package Installer) when installing from 3rd Party sources as it will let you know if the package has all needed dependencies for it to run. You should also take a look at Synaptic Package Manager as an alternative to the Software Channel as outlined in the unofficial manual for Zorin 15.
The ZorinOS "Software" store is contains apps in different formats, e.g. apt, flatpak, snap etc as desribed above by littlekun, which are easy to install and update. That should be your normal source.
Dowloading .debs or other formats from 3rd party sources is likely to involve you adding additional repositories to the standard Zorin repositories. If you are not careful there is a risk when doing updates that content from those non-Zorin repositories may change ZorinOS. We have seen issues where ZorinOS has morphed into Ubuntu or PopOS due to 3rd party repositories being present when updating software. So take care if you use this option.
wow... this is so much for Windows user like me
one more question...
when i search something in Software, it gives me 2 same apps, what can be the diffrerence? because both of them are from the same Flatpak source, but one of them i can install it from Zorin OS Source (Screenshot attached)
The apt would always be my preference, even if a slightly older version is offered.
The good thing is Zorin indicate the package sources in the Software Store, so you can pick and choose source according to your personal preference and package size that suits your hardware.
