How to install Kodi last version?

[nonobio]

Hi

On my new Zorin OS 16 Core, I wanted to install the latest version of Kodi, 20.2.

I searched Kodi on "Softwares" app without worrying about the source.
I later found that it was the Flatpak version.

The thing is that while discussing another problem, I learned that it was often recommended to choose the Zorin source (.deb), especially on an old, not very efficient PC like mine, because the Flatpaks were often heavier:

@Storm

@nonobio

In the future, is it therefore recommended for a low resource PC like mine to always choose the Zorin source rather than Flatpak when it is available?

Personal opinion? Yes. Some people swear to flatpak or snap because you get the latest software. The downside is they uses more resources and takes up a huge amount of space on the harddisk.

@Aravisian

@nonobio

Also, do you share the Storm's opinion about source choice, and do you recommend too to choose Zorin source instead of Flakpak for an old PC?

Yes. Absolutely.

So I uninstalled Kodi Flatpak and reinstalled it from "Softwares", taking care to choose this time Zorin source, but I was surprised to see that it was a relatively old version, 18.6!

In fact, I was also told that the Flatpak versions were often more up-to-date!

So, since I want version 20.2, I tell myself that I have to install the Flatpak version, hoping that it is not much heavier than the deb version for my PC (it seemed to work fine when I installed it).

But going to the download page of the official Kodi website, this is what I read:

Kodi v20.2 (Nexus)

Install from Flathub or read the 'Install Guide' instructions for people who already have a Linux-based OS setup.

I quickly checked the guide and it seems there are a lot of ways to install Kodi, like the first chapter: 1Installing Kodi on Ubuntu-based distributions with Team Kodi PPA

For the moment I reinstalled the Flatpak version from Software and I found all my configuration . I think to stay like that but
what do you recommend (notably @Storm and @Aravisian ) if I want the latest version: simply stay with the Flatpak version from "Softwares", or manually install Kodi?**

Whatever the solution chosen, I would like to be able to deactivate the automatic update of Kodi, at least when there is a new major version (21), is this possible?

Thanks a lot

[zenzen]

It's perfectly fine to install and use Flatpaks, they are just more prone to cause trouble due to their sandboxed nature which why for most people is best to use the native .deb format. There are other considerations, of course, and that's why a good rule of thumb is use the native format to Debian derivatives first, and if that doesn't cut it, go with another option.

If you go to Kodi's website you'll find that they provide instructions on how to install it on Linux. There's a dedicated PPA that you can add to your repository sources, and manage the installation and future updates as usual.

https://kodi.wiki/view/HOW-TO:Install_Kodi_for_Linux

[nonobio]

Hi,

Thanks. So, if I well understand, I could install Kodi's last version (20.2) with deb format with the manual method (PPA...).

I keep that in mind but since everything seems to work with the Flatpak version for the moment, I'm keeping it (that way I don't have to redo all the additional settings).

Just, do you know if I can disable the auto-update with the Flatpak version, or at least disable it for big upgrades like the 21?

[zenzen]

If it works for you without issues, then I don't see a good reason not to keep using it.

Personally, when the software that I want is not available on the repositories, or is too out of date for my needs, I try to find it elsewhere. Typically the authors of the software would have additional options such as a PPA (basically a private repository) or a direct download to the .deb that I can install manually. Be very careful with installing software like this.
Only then I install as Flatpak, and if I find that I want to keep using it regularly I would try to compile from the source code.

As for keeping packages pinned to a particular version, I've never tried but it seems pretty straight forward based on this thread:

How do I pin a Flatpak application to a specific version to prevent it from being updated?

Which is quite similar to how you'd do it for regular .deb packages:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/PinningHowto

[Aravisian]

@nonobio

what do you recommend (notably @Storm and @Aravisian )

@zenzen has addressed this very well, so all I can say is "I agree."

My own preference is that I check the PPA's and install their .deb.
Flatpak is a last resort.
To put this in perspective: to this day I have no flatpaks installed. Flatpak is not installed and neither is the software plugin for Flatpak. I have yet to ever need it.
(I uninstalled Flatpak when I first installed Zorin OS 16.)

But my switch to Linux is slowly becoming further in the past. I am comfortable and familiar with installation and package sources, now.
Use what works best for you. It is one of the benefits of having variety and options in computing.

[zenzen]

I also tend to use web-based tools for the occasional simple task as nowadays there's tons of things that can be done with a browser. Sadly, a lot of these are funded through privacy-invasive advertising and data collection so it's hard to find trust worthy ones.

[nonobio]

Hi,

To try to enable video acceleration in Kodi, I installed the no-flatpak version:

I first installed the version from the Zorin source, without first uninstalling the Flatpak version. I don't know if this is a good thing but I found it practical to be able to have both versions to test them.

As I said, the version installed from the Zorin source is an old version, 18.6 (the current version of Kodi is 20.2) but I would check if Hardware acceleration was here (it was). So to have the no-flatpak Kodi in the last version, I installed Kodi with the Kodi PPA way..

I had some problems, maybe because I did it wrong, but I finally succeeded:

After installation, the Kodi shortcut (source Zorin) disappeared and I could no longer launch Kodi. I tried to reboot my PC: same problem.
I went to Software: the Zorin source was then replaced by the Kodi ppa source with the correct version 20.2 but impossible to launch Kodi from here either:

I don't know if I did the right thing but I then tried to delete Kodi from here (Softwares), then reinstalled it from here, The result: the shortcut came back and Kodi launched in version 20.2

I don't know if I will keep or use the two versions but I'm happy to be able to test both, even if I haven't managed to activate the acceleration yet...

Bye