Flatpak support
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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
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@npro glad to hear it! Now, for those reading, I am unable to test this at this time, as I don't have my steamdeck(and won't for months...) and am having issues with virtual machines, but it is an official blog post so... Now, I did find a program called bottles on flathub, which is a frontend for wine, and was my former plan if I didn't find a way to run it natively, but this is better for obvious reasons. So thanks for the clarification. I will say though, that the Vivaldi team should link to that page more often, since I know this is a question asked often here.
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I have a Steam Deck, but I'm not willing to install software using a random script from the Internet. Flatpak may have several issues, but Deck users are still stuck with it, and it's the only supported and end user friendly way (meaning visible and easy way) to install extra software. Automatic or semi-automatic bash scripts for every piece of software the user might want to install are not a sustainable solution.
In any case, web browsing is a secondary need on the Deck, so we can just use any other browser that is available. Vivaldi seems to not be interested.
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@luetage said in Flatpak support:
@tam1 That’s not some random script. It was written by a Vivaldi team member (most likely @Ruarí) and is being distributed right from the official Vivaldi help pages… Get your facts straight.
That's not the point. The model of supporting and managing software installations in a computer device is not sustainable like that. That's why package managers exists. Vivaldi devs of course think only about Vivaldi and their dislike of Flatpak, apparently.
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@npro WOAH, I FINALLY INSTALLED VIVALDI ON DECK THANKS TO THAT GUIDE, MUCH APPRECIATED!
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Take immutable OS like Fedora Silverblue/Kionite, you don't want to use rpm, actually. It's inconvenient to say at least. You have to download package manually, or add repo. And then use rpm-ostree to layer the package into the system, reboot. This OS is meant to use containerised environment, flatpaks as main software provider. Just open software centre, find Vivaldi, hit install and *bum you're ready to go. Easy updates. Technically it is different platform which Vivaldi currently does not support.
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Just chiming in again to advocate for flatpak! The script we have currently is good but flatpak is definitely better. It's not ideal to have to periodically run the script in order to update the browser, I'd rather have Vivaldi in the same place as every other app, and I want it to update automatically like other flatpaks do
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@wellington But I don't want to use Chrome, Chromium, Edge, Firefox, or Brave. I want to use Vivaldi, which is why I am on the Vivaldi forum.
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@npro This is good information, but the issue here is more one of convenience and user friendliness. I'll have to try your method when I get my Deck, but this needs be a "I push the button, and it does the thing" level of complexity, which is what SteamOS 3 is about.
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+1 to add flatpak support, only then the .deb and .rpm versions would no longer be needed.
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Also echoing my wish for Flatpak support for Vivaldi. As it stands, this means that ostree-based distros like Fedora Silverblue simply can't run Vivaldi. A flatpak is becoming a must for a desktop Linux app these days, and it is much better for upstream to maintain it overall.
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