hi,
Input Remapper version 1.4.0 is offered in the Zorin OS Apps. The current version is 2.1.1. What is the requirement that the latest version of Input Remapper is offered for download in the Zorin OS software?
As per the repository's description:
Input Remapper ≥ 2.0 requires at least Ubuntu 22.04.
Which Zorin OS 17 is based on, which means that you can probably install this at the latest version without any issues. To do that, just follow the instructions listed in the Ubuntu/Debian section (you can choose either one of those methods):
The reason why the default repositories are not updated has to do with how Zorin OS handles software availability on their default repositories.
Debian- and Ubuntu-based distributions freeze the versions of packages available at the time of release with the purpose of ensuring the stability of the system. So, it's by design that applications aren't updated beyond certain versions until the next major release of the OS.
Like everything, this has pros & cons to consider. Sometimes (most of the time, in my experience) you don't actually need the latest and greatest and upgrading might cause unexpected and hard to debug issues.
Other times, you do need a feature that was recently introduced. In those cases you must take another approach like the one listed here for this particular piece of software.
PS: I've changed the category of this post to General Help
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Thanks for the detailed feedback. My concern in the opening post was not to get help for installing the current version of Input Remapper. I have installed the current version on Zorin OS Core 17.3 and the program is working.
My concern is to get other less tech savvy users to be able to install the current version from Zorin OS Apps without having to type commands in the terminal. Version 2.1.1 of Input Remapper has the advantage for me that it recognizes the Sony DualShock 4 [CUH-ZCT1x] gamepad, which version 1.4.0 does not.
Yeah, I understand that concern, and is certainly a common source of frustration (I speak from personal experience as I faced that when I first started using Linux), but there's no easy way to actually do that given how the default repositories work.
The only real choice would be to use another package format, such as Flatpak or Snap, which would then be available in the software store.
Unfortunately, not every developer distributes their software in such a way, and it's not feasible for Zorin OS to keep an up-to-date version of every possible package out there.
Some distributions do update their repositories very frequently, like Fedora or Endeavor OS, and have very up to date versions of software such as Input Remapper. They're different philosophies as this also introduces the risk of bugs that weren't tested enough — I suspect you might know about all of this, but I'm just mentioning it in case someone else reads this who might be wondering how packages work in Linux.
The design of Debian- and Ubuntu-based distributions prefers stability over novelty, and there's simply no easy way of doing what you're proposing unfortunately.
This is also why forums like this exist! I was also struggling with a lot of new concepts when I first started using Linux, but just like anything else it's just a matter of learning a new way of working.
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Because Zorin OS is an LTS Distro the Versions in the Repo's are older one's not not on an up-to-date Status. For up-to-date Software, You would have to use a rolling Release Distro or use what the Developer is offering.