Flatpak support
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I would like to ask for official support for the steam deck and other immutable file systems. I plan to replace my desktop with a steam deck, and I'm sure I and many others will be looking for Vivaldi to use on the steam deck. However, I am unable to find a proper way to get it onto the deck, with the only methods currently being messing with the OS(not feasable with valve push out updates so frequently), and downloading it off of github using a community package(which is something I and other noobs are leery about). Now, I'm not familiar with all that would take, however, valve has sold at least a couple million, not counting those using other, similar OS's, so by my estimate it would likely be worth it from a business prospective. Any work that you do that pushes in that direction would be greatly appreciated, thank you.
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@soldieratarms There already exist versions for Linux on ARM-based systems, I'm not sure what else is required here.
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@sgunhouse from what I can parse out, it's not so much an issue with hardware comparability, as it is an issue with how Steam OS handles programs. Normal programs are generally housed directly within the OS, however Valve has set it up so all modifications to the OS(such as programs) are overridden for every update, so they don't break anything in the process(can attest, it does happen on Linux). There are ways around this, but they require some form of formating work. You can find more accurate details looking at flatpak here on the forum, as I know that's a popular method of getting around these types of barriers.
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Just as an add-on to my original post, I'd like to also like to see some form of controller support as well, even a rudimentary form of snapping to different areas, scroll support, etc. I kinda expect this to be much harder, with less gain, but I'd still be cool to see.
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Hello, @soldieratarms
Steam Deck is a project that interests me a lot on a personal level, however, redirecting energies and resources to a platform development is always complicated, because there are higher priorities.
However, Steam Deck is made with Linux-ARM, so considering that this development already exists, it should not be so difficult. I will forward this question to the relevant developers. I'll update here with what they answer.
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@realmat0s awesome to hear that! I hope it doesn't provide any difficulties for y'all, and thank you.
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Just to be clear, the Steam Deck is Linux x86_64, not ARM. Releasing Vivaldi as a flatpak would be required to make it compatible with Steam Deck (and any future SteamOS devices).
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Hello
@soldieratarmsI make an update. So as you indicate above, Ryzen CPU Linux x86, so it's up to Steam to make it compatible with Vivaldi. More than on ourselves - The software is already done.
Anyway, it goes without saying that if you install Windows or Linux on your SteamOS you can easily use Vivaldi.
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Now that Steam Decks have been shipping for a while, and more info about SteamOS 3 has come out, I wanted to restart the flatpak conversation.
When using the deck, everything installed from the AUR will be wiped after every OS update. Only flatpak software will persist.
Microsoft even has an official guide for getting x-box cloud working on the deck that includes installing edge via flatpak.
SteamOS 3 is poised to be the predominant Linux gaming distro when it is (easily) installable on non deck hardware. Additionally, more and more distros are moving towards immutable OS structures. ClearOS (intel), Fedora Silverblue, SteamOs, and more.
Discounting immutable OS and the deck for a second, many distros are moving towards shipping default packages as flatpaks. Pop-os, Mint, Fedora, CentOS, Elementary, etc... Many huge programs have embraced Flatpak recently, OBS just being the latest example.
Please consider shipping an official flatpak version and including it on the downloads page.
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+1 for supporting Flatpak
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Maybe we can merge this into one Feature Request?
Because the current thread is in the Support & Troubleshooting / Vivaldi for Linux category and the second one is in actual Feature Requests category: https://forum.vivaldi.net/topic/33411/flatpack-version
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I am just chiming in to voice my support for Flatpak.
I am also using Steam Deck and as someone else wrote earlier, part of the system is indeed readonly and gets overwritten on update.From the Steam Deck - Desktop FAQ
[...] anything you install outside of flatpak (via pacman for instance) may be wiped with the next SteamOS update.
Someone already provided a proof of concept for supplying a flatpak here: gitHubLink.
It would be lovely if the vivaldi team could maintain an official flatpak. Information on how to submit a new package to flathub can be found: hereEither way. A response to look into it or a definitive no would help me to keep interest in Vivaldi or help me move on.
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A Vivaldi's Flatpak version would come in handy for the Steam Deck indeed, I use this as my main browser and being able to sync all my bookmarks on this device would make my life a bit easier.
Sure, it can be installed by removing the readonly protocol and so but as a non-experienced linux user myself (and a huge number of users who are in the same boat as me right now) this option would make the process something more reliable and secure for those non-experienced users.
So yeah, please, keep this request in mind, hopefully it will happen sooner rather than later, the more options for the users, the better, experienced or not.
Thanks a lot.
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Kind of a shame to see the Vivaldi team take such a dismissive approach here. I'll probably end up switching to a browser that is available in flatpak format.
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unfortunately Vivaldi developers are resistant to new technologies, and it's not just them, technologies like pipewire, flatpak and wayland and I don't even comment on some communities. Flathub already has: Google Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Chromium and Brave. We don't need to try to convince those who don't want to see it, we already have good options for some even better.
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+1 flatpack support please.
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@mehstrongbadmeh said in Flatpak support:
The first is that the system partition is very small, it is just about big enough to contain the files that are prei-ncluded on it. The second problem is that, even you manage to squeeze some packages in there, the system partition is wiped every OS update (in fact, it switches between an A and B partition, Android style). This renders using pacman completely impractical on SteamOS, and by extension, means Vivaldi is effectively unobtainable by proper means unless a flatpak version is created.
@soldieratarms said in Flatpak support:
I am unable to find a proper way to get it onto the deck, with the only methods currently being messing with the OS(not feasable with valve push out updates so frequently), and downloading it off of github using a community package(which is something I and other noobs are leery about).
@soldieratarms said in Flatpak support:
as it is an issue with how Steam OS handles programs. Normal programs are generally housed directly within the OS, however Valve has set it up so all modifications to the OS(such as programs) are overridden for every update, so they don't break anything in the process(can attest, it does happen on Linux).
@mehstrongbadmeh said in Flatpak support:
Releasing Vivaldi as a flatpak would be required to make it compatible with Steam Deck (and any future SteamOS devices).
Lots of inaccuracies here. The Steam Deck uses a separate home partition where it mounts /home , /var, /opt, that is not being touched at all (the partition) and there is where Vivaldi can/will be installed.
You don't necessarily need a flatpak to install Vivaldi to your Steam Deck, just use the official Vivaldi method using the script. Install Linux snapshots on non-DEB/RPM distributions 
(add -fto the end of the line if you 'd like to install Stable instead).This very good, well-engineered script, contrary to the anti-KISS, corporate flatpak or whatever other container (that bloats the system and which is associated with tons of problems, security and whatnot) installs Vivaldi to your
/home/deck/.local, the codecs to your/home/deck/.local/liband gets updated every week iirc, so you are perfectly covered from the get-go.(Ofc if you would "clear local user data" using Steam's recovery image, your home partition would get wiped out and with it your Vivaldi & your Vivaldi profile as well, so before that you could do a backup)
Furthermore, Vivaldi is already "self-contained" (you could even run Vivaldi if you 'd download the .deb or .rpm, extract the contents somewhere in your /home and run it from there), respects the FHS where it puts itself, the binary and its static files under /opt, meaning that you could install it just fine with the traditional method via
pacmanas well, with the only extremely minor "caveats" that the symbolic link placed under/usr/binwould be affected by the wipeout of therootfs, so your $PATH wouldn't see it (to invoke "vivaldi-stable" from the terminal for example), and that you would lose your shortcut on the panel/usr/share/applications/vivaldi-stable.desktop. But both are easily fixable, for the 1st one you would just need to export/opt/vivaldito your $PATH in your.bashrc, for the 2nd one you would just need to copy the shortcut to your local applications (~/.local/share/applications).
TL:DR:
a) you don't actually need any "container solution", use Vivaldi's official method to install to Steam Deck
b) Vivaldi is already "self-contained" (you could extract it from a .deb or .rpm and run it inside your /home/ *), it's better engineered than any other browser that puts itself under/usr/bin, thus already suitable for the Steam Deck. -
@wellington said in Flatpak support:
unfortunately Vivaldi developers are resistant to new technologies, and it's not just them, technologies like pipewire, flatpak and wayland
which are all corporate "technologies"coming from the usual suspects Red Hat, Ubuntu specifically written for cloud computing and servers but shoved down to everyone's throat for the desktop, using fanboys of their "community-NOT" distros as guinea-pigs and as battering rams demanding their "technology" here and there for the corporation's benefits?
Corporate containers are anti-KISS and in reality anti GNU/Linux. Those companies are only using people's ignorance or lazyness for their own benefits and goals, which lie in turning your PC into a closed dumb terminal talking to their mainframe, their businesses called IoT and Edge Computing.
It's good to always keep in mind that "Linux" has the corporate side and the community side, one should be rather sceptical -not to say... suspicious!- when they advertise their new, "ground-breaking" toys and certainly not team up with BIG corporations, it never turns out good.
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Offtopic
Next time thy will ask for Docker image with Vivaldi
scnr
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