Is it possible to use the program klepopatra (flatpak) ? The older version (not flatpak) worked. The new one writes when trying to create a new certificate, for example:
“The creation of a new OpenPGP certificate failed.
Error: pinentry error”
I can't find any working solution on the Internet. Is there no big difference and stay with the older one?
Hi, welcome to Zorin OS!
I would generally advise to use whatever works for you. More specifically, I prefer and recommend using Debian packages (labeled as "Zorin OS") whenever possible as they are less likely to cause issues, as is the case right here.
The issue is most likely related to permissions to read/write to the file system, as Flatpak packages run in a sandboxed environment that has limited access. You can install something called "Flatseal" from the Software store, which you can use to tweak the permissions on Flatpak packages.
Unfortunately I'm not familiar with Kleopatra enough to tell you which permissions you need to grant it, so you will have to try it out based on what you need to do and how Kleopatra works. Again, I'd just use the Debian package instead.
If you are wondering about the differences, Flatpak packages are independent (due to the sandbox environment I mentioned) from the rest of the system libraries, and because of that they can be updated much more frequently. You will typically see that they are at their latest version of the application.
On the other hand, Debian packages prefer stability over novelty, and freeze the package version available when the OS is released.
For comparison, Kleopatra in Zorin OS 17.3 is installed at version kleopatra 3.1.19.211203 (21.12.3) whereas the Flatpak version is at the latest 4.0.0.250400.
This may sound like a very big difference, and I'm sure there are major improvements in the newer version, but I would still favor the Debian package unless I know for a fact that I require something that is not available in it.
Bottom line is, you have options and you can choose whatever works best, but keep in mind there are pros & cons to everything.