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Plex for Linux Now Available as a Snap (betanews.com)

Posted by msmash on from the small-steps dept.

An anonymous reader shares a report: Today, a very popular app, Plex Media Server, gets the Snap treatment. In other words, you can install the media server program without any headaches -- right from the Snap store. "In adopting the universal Linux app packaging format, Plex will make its multimedia platform available to an ever-growing community of Linux users, including those on KDE Neon, Debian, Fedora, Manjaro, OpenSUSE, Zorin and Ubuntu. Automatic updates and rollback capabilities are staples of Snap software, meaning Plex users will always have the best and latest version running," says Canonical.

33 of 61 comments (clear)

  1. Only LUDDITES use snaps. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Modern app appers use apps that app other apps, not LUDDITE snaps!

    Apps!

  2. App... by Luthair · · Score: 1

    Remember when we had the time to type out the full word? Pity we're all so busy now....

    1. Re:App... by Waffle+Iron · · Score: 1

      In my day, we called them "programs".

      "Software Application" sounds like marketing fluff.

    2. Re:App... by ichthus · · Score: 2

      In my day, we called them "programs".

      Wait. Are you a... USER?

      --
      sig: sauer
    3. Re: App... by ichthus · · Score: 2

      Yep. "App" should definitely be used as a pejorative term in the next Tron movie.

      --
      sig: sauer
    4. Re:App... by youngone · · Score: 1

      I'm pretty sure the "prog" reference is in relation to Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

    5. Re: App... by postbigbang · · Score: 1

      Get off my lawn.

      We use apps.

      Australians have truckies.

      It's English. Get over it. Changes.

      --
      ---- Teach Peace. It's Cheaper Than War.
    6. Re: App... by quenda · · Score: 1

      In English, we have programmes. Stop the bloody yankee spelling mate.

      Or applications, or app's if you must. But don't forget the apostrophe.

  3. Linux packaging standards by xack · · Score: 2

    TAR.gz RPM Deb PPA flatpak Snap AUR ebuild tar.bz2. configure make make install. It's all fun in the Linux packaging factory.

    1. Re:Linux packaging standards by cascadingstylesheet · · Score: 3, Interesting

      TAR.gz RPM Deb PPA flatpak Snap AUR ebuild tar.bz2. configure make make install. It's all fun in the Linux packaging factory.

      Meh.

      Windows: .zip, .exe, .msi, DLL hell, .ini files, registry, user profiles, "would you like that installed in this bizarrely named program pseudo-directory, or that one?", etc.

    2. Re:Linux packaging standards by Cmdln+Daco · · Score: 1

      I like Plex.tar.gz as a standard package format.

      To install, you'd type:

      tar -xzvf Plex.tar.gz
      cd Plex
      make config
      make
      make install

    3. Re:Linux packaging standards by i.r.id10t · · Score: 1

      license costs, sometimes confusing license requirements, adware, malware, ride-alongs, hijacking settings, leaving trial versions and nagware, etc.

      I'll deal with apt and adding the occasional 3rd party repo or working with a tarball... seems much more sane.

      --
      Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos
    4. Re: Linux packaging standards by Cmdln+Daco · · Score: 1

      I said something about a standardized package. Not a dilettante package.

  4. Is Plex open source - why Snap? by Rob+Y. · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I don't know what Plex is, but I have a general question. Would anybody want an open source project to be distributed as a snap? I installed Skype on my kubuntu 18.04 system, and it insisted on it. But Skype isn't open source, so okay - it's easier for them to package it once and have it work everywhere. But in the meantime, I see that the snap has set up a loopback filesystem. In fact that conflicted with an encrypted filesystem I used to map using /dev/loop0, until I changed that. But do I really want extra filesystems showing up in the 'df' command just because I've installed a bunch of apps that come as Snaps.

    Okay. Plex seems to be a server app, so maybe. But Skype - easy for them, pain in the ass for me.

    /dev/loop0 /snap/skype/54
    /dev/loop1 /snap/core/5548
    /dev/loop2 /snap/skype/51
    /dev/loop4 /snap/core/5145
    /dev/loop3 /snap/skype/57
    /dev/loop5 /snap/core/5328

    I recently went to install the Atom text editor to give it a whirl. That also wanted to install as a snap. Luckily there was a regular deb available and I installed that instead. But seriously - any open source project ought to be included in the distro's repository and kept up to date there. I guess snaps could be handy for things you can't afford to keep up to date - to prevent breakage. But there are ways to prevent taking repo updates for individual apps. I guess snaps can protect you from library updates breaking things too, but seriously - open source desktop apps ought to be either less mission critical or more backward-compatible than the kinds of things that snaps are useful for. Wishful thinking?

    --
    Posted from my Android phone. Oh, I can change this? There, that's better...
    1. Re:Is Plex open source - why Snap? by tlhIngan · · Score: 1

      But seriously - any open source project ought to be included in the distro's repository and kept up to date there. I guess snaps could be handy for things you can't afford to keep up to date - to prevent breakage. But there are ways to prevent taking repo updates for individual apps. I guess snaps can protect you from library updates breaking things too, but seriously - open source desktop apps ought to be either less mission critical or more backward-compatible than the kinds of things that snaps are useful for. Wishful thinking?

      Well, the main reason is you need something configured in a specific way for the system to work, and configuring said item may require pages of instructions. Or it also may include changes to a core library to include a feature the distro doesn't. Now you have a problem - you need to get the upstream owner to reconfigure the distro package to include the feature you need, before you can go and upload your package. Repeat this for a few more non-trivial libraries and it can be a headache and a mess (what if the upstream owner says no, or that they believe that feature is a security risk, etc).

      Basically Linux has reached the point in its life where it's impossible to satisfy everyone - what if you configured the system one way, and and application you want to use requires your system configured another way? Or what if two programs need some library configured in a mutually exclusive fashion?

      And it's always nicer to have something set up and all ready to run rather than something that needs 500 pages of documentation describing how to configure each and every dependency properly

    2. Re:Is Plex open source - why Snap? by Highdude702 · · Score: 1

      Switch to KDE Debian 9. That's what I did a year or so ago and I've never been happier. Most things that work on Ubuntu 18.xx work on deb 9 with little to no work. And the rest is Linux. Ubuntu is turning into Windows 10. Fast. Ditch it while you can!

    3. Re:Is Plex open source - why Snap? by youngone · · Score: 1

      The one time I have tried a snap was NextCloud on Ubuntu server, and it breaks smb client.
      It seems to be known about but is not going to be fixed, which seems odd.

    4. Re:Is Plex open source - why Snap? by uulbri · · Score: 1

      This is the exact reason why containers exist !
      When dealing with installing software somewhere you have many ways to install it, from building from the sources to running a full blown VM.
      The "standard" way being installing from a package made for your distro (or from marketplaces on proprietary OSes). When it comes to server software, the preference is now the container which abstracts a lot of the hassles leaving basically nothing but the port management to the admin. This is very convenient, and easy to manage.
      I don't see really what snaps bring to the picture. This is as heavy as a container because it solves most of the dependency hell but still "pollutes" the system and interacts with it in a privileged manner. For me this is the useless level between system packages and containers... Looks a lot like the desperate attempt to stay in the loop for the server side management at Canonical.
      Please do not hesitate to tell me if you feel I'm wrong.

  5. Re:Stop Trying To Make Snap Happen by MightyYar · · Score: 1

    But.. but... dpkg -i plex is so hard without SNAP!

    --
    W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
  6. Re:Stop Trying To Make Snap Happen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    especially on non-dpkg platforms...

  7. Well ... by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 3, Insightful

    In adopting the universal Linux app packaging format, ...

    That may be the Canonical definition of "universal", but not really the canonical definition. Just sayin'.

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  8. Re:Stop Trying To Make Snap Happen by MightyYar · · Score: 1

    You think that's bad, try loading the SNAP on non-SNAP platforms.

    --
    W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
  9. Used to be good by reetp · · Score: 1

    Until the vulture capitalist bought in. More spyware than you can shake a stick at now. Fingers in ears devs whilst they figure out how to screw you and data mine you for cash. I bought a lifetime subscription to help out in the good old days but regret that. Have a look at Emby. Not perfect, but you are still in control.

  10. Re:more online tracking by youngone · · Score: 1

    I have Serviio, which is cheap and really easy to install and use.

  11. Re:GNU plus LINUX by vbdasc · · Score: 1

    -Also, alcohol + night swimming is a winning combination.

    Indeed, it's a good way to win the Darwin award.

  12. Re: Bloat by Hizonner · · Score: 1

    They're separate so you can be sure to forget to fix the security bugs in at least one of them.

  13. "firejail skypeforlinux" ? by Herve5 · · Score: 1

    At least that's what I do.
    I have read here and there more frowny users that'll firejail *also the installer*, IIRC there is a detailed how-to for Steam, for instance, but at this time I cannot track it back...

    --
    Herve S.
  14. Sheesh by gosand · · Score: 1

    TAR.gz RPM Deb PPA flatpak Snap AUR ebuild tar.bz2. configure make make install. It's all fun in the Linux packaging factory.

    There are other actual package formats you didn't mention.

    You included tar.gz and tar.bz2 and those aren't packaging formats, although they could be used for that (as well as zip). And compiling from source is not a packaging format. Sheesh.

    --

    My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.

  15. Plex and SNAP.... nah. by gosand · · Score: 1

    I've tried plex and I just don't like it. I have been using serviio as my home media server for many years, and it works great.

    I don't quite get SNAP.

    --

    My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.

  16. snap is complete garbage by nyet · · Score: 1

    it's written by clueless idiots for clueless idiots. It violates just about every single packaging rule, even the ones easiest to follow.

  17. Re:Fixing Snap by Baki · · Score: 1

    works for me

  18. Re:Stop Trying To Make Snap Happen by MightyYar · · Score: 1

    Right, I'm sure there is a big use-case for enterprise usage of Plex.

    --
    W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
  19. Re:Stop Trying To Make Snap Happen by basecastula+ · · Score: 1

    Zing