Is there any way to disable Flatpaks ...?

[Omnimaxus]

Hi to everyone. Is there any way to disable Flatpaks in the Software Manager? Pop!_OS has this ability; users can just disable Flatpaks with a click of the mouse. Does Zorin OS somehow offer the same ability through different means? (I have Snaps disabled through a few commands in the terminal; would something similar be feasible?) Also, I was thinking. I hope that the Zorin Group doesn't take the path that Elementary OS has taken with their over-reliance on Flatpaks. As much as I like Zorin, that would be a dealbreaker for me, honestly. Thanks in advance.

P.S.: What happens to the Software Manager if I disable flatpaks?

Will .DEB-only files automatically populate the software list? Thanks.

P.P.S.: Am just asking this for future reference, too - more of a curiosity.

[swarfendor437]

Follow my tutorial here:

[HOW TO] Remove snapd and flatpak ... should you wish to

I don't know if the security issues are still the same (apps having root access, no sandboxing), this also could apply to 'app images' as discussed in this 2018 YouTube video by Distro Tube - and now it appears to be no longer there! Anyhow if you prefer not to have snapd on your Zorin install, this is how to remove it: [Remove Complete Snap Integration in Ubuntu Linux | Tutorial] Commands under the video. If you also want to remove flatpaks follow the guide here: Whilst it is a…

[Omnimaxus]

Thank you; I will take a look.

[Omnimaxus]

Follow-up:

I saw @Aravisian's reply. He said:

sudo apt remove gnome-software-plugin-flatpak

I assume this will do what I'd like to be done (one day). Correct? Seems like it, but I'd appreciate some affirmation. If so, I'll use this method later when Zorin 18 comes out and upgraded .DEB packages should be available with bug fixes and such.

Thanks.

[zenzen]

Yes, this will remove the ability for the Software Store to search in the Flathub repository, effectively disabling Flatpak. I agree that this would be a very useful feature to have. At the very least, it would draw attention to people new to Linux about the existence of various package formats.

[Omnimaxus]

Thank you for the affirmation. It is appreciated. All good to go now.

[zenzen]

I've marked @swarfendor437's reply as the solution as it provides more information and links to a much more interesting discussion

[Ponce-De-Leon]

@Omnimaxus

Follow-up:

I saw @Aravisian's reply. He said:

sudo apt remove gnome-software-plugin-flatpak

Only to say that clear: That only removes the Plugin in the Software Store, so that You can't see Flatpaks in the Software Store. It does not remove Flatpak in common. For that, You would have to make a sudo apt purge flatpak

[Omnimaxus]

So ... just to be clear: Run both commands then?

Run @Aravisian's suggestion first, then yours? Correct?

[Ponce-De-Leon]

To completely remove Flatpak, both yes. What you delete first doesn't matter. I think when You remove flatpak, that could automatically remove the Plugin for the Software Store, too.

But You could combine both like this:

sudo apt purge flatpak gnome-software-plugin-flatpak

But before You make that, I would suggest to uninstall all Flatpaks first.

[swarfendor437]

What is interesting with Q40S is that flatpak is an option to be installed, it isn't present by default.
In PCLinuxOS Debian Edition, only the backend is present for Discover (Software Store):

Now removed and so no flatpak apps showinig in Discover!

[Locklear93]

@Ponce-De-Leon

But before You make that, I would suggest to uninstall all Flatpaks first.

This is important. If you don't uninstall the flatpaks first, they just sit on your drive taking up space. They won't hurt anything; a flatpak can't run if flatpak support has been removed, but once flatpak support is gone, so is your easy option for uninstalling them. (If you reinstall flatpak support, you could uninstall them later, if you forgot, and then re-uninstall flatpak support.)