Will we be able to dump snap forever?

[Gromm]

Hello,

I am very happy with this for my Kubuntu 24.04 installation. https://www.kubuntuforums.net/forum/...et-rid-of-snap
However, I also read lots of messages about further integration of snap into the newer Ubuntu-family versions. This in such a way it might break your system if you remove it.
What will the future look like?

[claydoh]

I also read lots of messages about further integration of snap into the newer Ubuntu-family versions

Can you give some examples? I don't see it, nor does it look like 26.04 has any more snap bits than 24.04, *and* doing a minimal install in recent releases does not include it at all, at the expense of also not having a web browser.

Commentary on the internet, especially on Reddit, among others, has a lot of overblown blowhard windblowing from random haters seeking outrage, exaggeration, and general silliness. Makes it hard sometimes to see the real information.

https://ubuntu-mate.community/t/ubun...features/31233
Kubuntu's ISO seem to be the same

Any real “integration”, whatever that means, doesn't seem to really be a thing. If it were really bad, then places like Linux Mint would be howling loudly and moving to Debian already.

And one can always move to a different platform worst case. I doubt that will be necessary.

[Gromm]

Can you give some examples? I don't see it, nor does it look like 26.04 has any more snap bits than 24.04, *and* doing a minimal install in recent releases does not include it at all, at the expense of also not having a web browser.

Commentary on the internet, especially on Reddit, among others, has a lot of overblown blowhard windblowing from random haters seeking outrage, exaggeration, and general silliness. Makes it hard sometimes to see the real information.

https://ubuntu-mate.community/t/ubun...features/31233
Kubuntu's ISO seem to be the same

Any real “integration”, whatever that means, doesn't seem to really be a thing. If it were really bad, then places like Linux Mint would be howling loudly and moving to Debian already.

And one can always move to a different platform worst case. I doubt that will be necessary.

Well, that is an answer isn't it? The reason I ask here is that I want to know how much truth in the "blowhard windblowing" is. Your arguments sounds logical. If it will only be restricted to things like firefox, krita etc, that I can keep on removing snap and I stick to flatpack or the .deb packages.
Example: On the other hand, I also heard things about core-components of the os that might be installed with snap. As I understand you, that might not be the case.

[die.boer]

I'm not a fan of snap and if i install anything i specifically avoid snap or flatpak ,i'll look for the deb version rather.
i've removed preinstalled snaps like firefox ,but there's a few other snaps that i'm scared to remove ,just now something stops working .
so yea ,also interested if one can remove snap completely from kubuntu ?

ps: snap list i have left

bare 1.0 5 latest/stable canonical✓ base
core22 20260225 2411 latest/stable canonical✓ base
gnome-42-2204 0+git.c1d3d69-sdk0+git.015db9a 247 latest/stable/… canonical✓ -
gtk-common-themes 0.1-81-g442e511 1535 latest/stable/… canonical✓ -
gtk-theme-breeze 1.3 5 latest/stable/… kde✓ -
icon-theme-breeze 1.3 5 latest/stable/… kde✓ -
snapd 2.74.1 26382 latest/stable canonical✓ snapd

[Gromm]

I'm not a fan of snap and if i install anything i specifically avoid snap or flatpak ,i'll look for the deb version rather.
i've removed preinstalled snaps like firefox ,but there's a few other snaps that i'm scared to remove ,just now something stops working .
so yea ,also interested if one can remove snap completely from kubuntu ?

ps: snap list i have left

bare 1.0 5 latest/stable canonical✓ base
core22 20260225 2411 latest/stable canonical✓ base
gnome-42-2204 0+git.c1d3d69-sdk0+git.015db9a 247 latest/stable/… canonical✓ -
gtk-common-themes 0.1-81-g442e511 1535 latest/stable/… canonical✓ -
gtk-theme-breeze 1.3 5 latest/stable/… kde✓ -
icon-theme-breeze 1.3 5 latest/stable/… kde✓ -
snapd 2.74.1 26382 latest/stable canonical✓ snapd

https://www.kubuntuforums.net/forum/...et-rid-of-snap Follow these instructions and you should get rid of snap. Proceed at your own risk of course.

[jlittle]

Commentary on the internet... has a lot of overblown blowhard windblowing from random haters ...

I agree.

A major point behind such blowback is "thin edge of the wedge" or "slippery slope" thinking, but the point is rarely made explicitly, so debate about it is muted.

Other points that are rarely acknowledged are the packaging work that is eased by snaps, flatpaks and AppImages, and that flatpaks are designed for front-end apps only.

[Gromm]

I agree.

A major point behind such blowback is "thin edge of the wedge" or "slippery slope" thinking, but the point is rarely made explicitly, so debate about it is muted.

Other points that are rarely acknowledged are the packaging work that is eased by snaps, flatpaks and AppImages, and that flatpaks are designed for front-end apps only.

From my point of view: I was and am very satisfied with just go to the package manager when I get a notification for updates. Check them, install them and that's that. I do have flatpak installed but I do not have any flatpak apps running so far. The snaps just takes a bit of control away for me and I don't like that, among other reasons like the snap version of firefox that filled my syslog and made my machine slow as a slug (That is solved by the way, no worries. :P).. Another one was that my VPN did not work properly anymore after the snap update. However, the flatpak version of that VPN lacked certain functions so I went back to the .deb package. As soon as snap is polished, perfected etc, I'll be the last to keep on rejecting it.

[Qqmike]

Sometimes ignorance is, in fact, bliss, as the American saying goes! ha-ha
I have not taken time to really study any of this. And everything works quickly and perfectly, as is, out of the box!
I do lots of stuff on my PC and internet, in two or three languages, all around the world -- no problems
But, of course, being geek-ish myself, I do appreciate the issue and why some users do not wish for this to be 'black box.'
Back to my point, sometimes not-knowing is a relief!

[Gromm]

Sometimes ignorance is, in fact, bliss, as the American saying goes! ha-ha
I have not taken time to really study any of this. And everything works quickly and perfectly, as is, out of the box!
I do lots of stuff on my PC and internet, in two or three languages, all around the world -- no problems
But, of course, being geek-ish myself, I do appreciate the issue and why some users do not wish for this to be 'black box.'
Back to my point, sometimes not-knowing is a relief!

Yeah, not knowing is a relief....temporarily...untill you cannot deny the problems you conveniently ignored before... Although in this case I do not think we should take things too dramatically.

[die.boer]

Sometimes ignorance is, in fact, bliss, as the American saying goes! ha-ha
I have not taken time to really study any of this. And everything works quickly and perfectly, as is, out of the box!
I do lots of stuff on my PC and internet, in two or three languages, all around the world -- no problems
But, of course, being geek-ish myself, I do appreciate the issue and why some users do not wish for this to be 'black box.'
Back to my point, sometimes not-knowing is a relief!

i litterarly do not know what you mean about ignorance , so i'm goint to ignore it

[Qqmike]

i litterarly do not know what you mean about ignorance , so i'm goint to ignore it

OK, I'm going to take your comment literally and explain what I mean.
In THIS specific case -- snap & et al -- I am ignorant of the nuances and current issues among users.
And that might be a good thing -- in MY case.
My system works perfectly for ME.
I'm afraid if I knew more about snap etc., I might mess with things and break MY system -- or maybe just drive myself nuts with it.
So my comment is meant to be factual, again for ME, but it is also made with some sense of humor.
That's one positive interpretation of the popular American expression, "Ignorance is bliss."
(Sometimes in life, 'ignorance' can mean great trouble, even death!)