How to choose between debian downloads and snap downloads

[Straitsfan]

Can anyone let me know how to choose/where the option is in the appcenter to choose between snaps or debian package downloads

 

[Condobloke]

I can't really help you with that...I don't run Debian. However there is a chance it is similar to Linux Mints Software Repository, and on the search page it will usually show if there just a system package or a flatpack package as well.

The absence of either one indictaes it is not available.

Debian may have a different approach...someone here will know for sure

 

[wizardfromoz]

The OP is posting in the Ubuntu subforum, I believe he is referring to .deb packages rather than the Debian distro.

He was looking to have Ubuntu on one computer and Elementary OS on another, I believe.

@Straitsfan Ubuntu tends to be Snaps oriented - are you familiar with the differences, do you have a choice of one over the other, and is there a particular package or packages you have in mind to install?

Wizard

 

[Brickwizard]

They both work, Deb packages are smaller and are built in the machine using the dependencies already installed [the same dependency is shared by many apps] Snap is much and include the dependencies, so every time you install a snap it will install the dependencies with it] Both will work normally without issue,

 

[Gloster]

@Straitsfan, I can say what I do :

I use synaptic, it will take universe, to get the respective deb-package :

sudo apt install synaptic

But it does not work for all. E.g.: firefox must be installed via ppa, to get the deb-package

(refer to https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/k...ge-for-debian-based-distributions-recommended)

Snap vs. deb, it is not always the same SW : E.g. vlc, the snap starts very slow, therefore I use the deb.

Firefox I have always open, no difference between snap vs. deb what I can recognize.

But sometimes it will be needed to download the snap from the "edge" channel to get the latest version e.g.:

sudo snap install --edge vivictpp

(It is often, that the deb-package will be a very old SW-Version, also the "normal" snap installation will give you not the latest version. If it is a github-Source, it is always worth to take a look, at the respective page .:

https://github.com/vivictorg/vivictpp.)

For preinstalled Thunderbird, Firefox, I would leave the snap, for the most of other I would prefer the deb, therefore installation via synaptic or command line, see above.

But always have "github" in mind (e.g.: yt-dlp, the deb is very old, there is no snap available, but a binary on github).