Flatpak packages will soon be able to be installed from your own store thanks to GNOME Souk

The Snap Store has been around for a long time. In fact, Ubuntu 20.10 It already includes this store by default, which I personally don't like at all and I would recommend installing the usual GNOME Software that allows us, after installing several packages and adding a repository, to view and install Flathub packages. But if what we want is a more focused experience, it is already developing Gnome Souk, a new store that we are going to talk about here today.

The first thing we have to know is that it is still being developed and whoever wants to test it has to do so by downloading and installing the code from your GitHub page, fall at the time of writing. It is a Flatpak-based App Store. As such, we don't have to install any plugins or add an extra repository, as we do if we use GNOME Software or Discover. It is install and use.

GNOME Souk, a standalone Flatpak app store

Another thing to keep in mind is that it is written in GTK4, which is about to be officially released, and Rust. On the other hand, its developer ensures that it has been created from scratch to be a store that works perfectly on desktop or mobile devices, like the PinePhone, the PineTab or the Librem 5. As for mobile phones, it helps that it is responsive.

With the above explained, we have to ask ourselves: is it worth it? Well, right now you have to install it following the instructions provided on GitHub but, when it is easier and more direct, I personally have my doubts. Yes it will be the easiest way to access Flathub apps for less experienced users, but I think it is best to add support to our software store, such as GNOME Software or Discover. At Manjaro's Pamac, doing so is a click away.

In any case, GNOME Souk is already in development and pretends to make things easier, something that does not seem so bad in devices such as mobile devices.