Add Pacstall in a GUI software center

[soumyaDghosh]

This is a feature suggestion about adding a support for GUI software centers.

Recently a new and unique GUI software center came up for Ubuntu/Debian called software which is written in flutter. This app until now have only snaps and debs/rpms, but it'll be awesome to have packages from pacstall here. According to one of the devs, this app uses, snapd.dart and packagekit.dart for calling and searching packages, can something similar API be made for Pacstall so that it can also be used here. Please think about this devs.

Describe alternatives you've considered

No response

Additional context

No response

[saenai255]

We're already considering this.
It has to wait until the Rust backend has a stable release.

[soumyaDghosh]

The latest ubuntu software is flutter based and they use dart for fetching packages. Like the packagekit.dart and the snapd.dart. Can you guys make something like that? This way packages can be accessed from the official store.

[wizard-28]

The latest ubuntu software is flutter based and they use dart for fetching packages. Like the packagekit.dart and the snapd.dart. Can you guys make something like that? This way packages can be accessed from the official store.

It's not confirmed yet, but how would you like it if we had a chaotic AUR style package repository that automatically builds the pacstall packages.

The user can add this repository to their APT sources, and install pre-built pacstall packages through apt.

This will also allow for free integration with app stores, as the pacstall packages would be treated as regular deb packages and can be installed as such from there.

[soumyaDghosh]

If that is possible then why not. Obviously that'll be a better option

[brainchild0]

It's not confirmed yet, but how would you like it if we had a chaotic AUR style package repository that automatically builds the pacstall packages.

Is the idea that a Debian repository would be provided locally by a service that would build any package on demand from an HTTP request?

[brainchild0]

Would the proposed solutions also be adaptable to other front-ends used in various Ubuntu-based distributions, for example Mint Update from Linux Mint?

[Zahrun]

It's not confirmed yet, but how would you like it if we had a chaotic AUR style package repository that automatically builds the pacstall packages.

Is the idea that a Debian repository would be provided locally by a service that would build any package on demand from an HTTP request?

My understanding of the idea is that all packages in pacstall would be built into deb (actually the github ci already generates the debs for each pr) and all these debs would be accessible in one deb repository that we would just have to add to our apt source list, like any other deb repo. This way, any graphical package manager (muon, synaptic, discover, the mint software center) would handle it perfectly. That would be amazing.

[Elsie19]

That's what the Chaotic PPR is for, but that's still in the works.

[Elsie19]

This will never be done in pacstall. so I will transfer this to https://github.com/pacstall/chaotic-PPR

[Zahrun]

What is the status of this ? Depends on other tasks to be done before ? Needs development ? Needs infrastructure ? Needs funding ?

[Elsie19]

What is the status of this ? Depends on other tasks to be done before ? Needs development ? Needs infrastructure ? Needs funding ?

We need infrastructure and funding yes.

[Zahrun]

The primary building cluster is a node in UFSCars datacenter which is hosted in São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil.

https://aur.chaotic.cx/ is hosted by a university

[Elsie19]

We are fairly confident we have the funding now!

[soumyaDghosh]

So, add a ppa, and pacstall packages showing up in the shiny new Ubuntu App Center?

[Elsie19]

If the Ubuntu app center can support normal apt repos, yes. It is not a PPA however.

[Zahrun]

Congratulations 🥳

[soumyaDghosh]

If the Ubuntu app center can support normal apt repos, yes. It is not a PPA however.

Yes it does. It fetches all the debs

[Elsie19]

How does it display images and such?

[soumyaDghosh]

Not sure about that, will need to check the packagekit code