Fans of the Vivaldi web browser may be excited to hear it’s coming to Flathub officially.
Some code sleuthing suggests this Chromium-based, closed-source web browser hopes to arrive on Flathub soon, becoming the latest big-name software vendor to adopt Flatpak and Flathub as a primary means for Linux users to install their wares.
Vivaldi vying to join the ranks of developers embracing Flatpak and Flathub is not a surprise, and comes hot on the heels of Thunderbird and messaging platform Discord getting verified (prior to verification, Discord had racked up millions of installs through Flathub).
A wide range of web browsers are already available on Flathub, including Mozilla Firefox, Chromium, and Falkon. But not all, such Google Chrome and Brave, are “official” builds that are uploaded and maintained by their actual developers.
So Vivaldi embracing Flathub formally would be a big deal.
Vivaldi launched in 2015 with day-one Linux support, offering official DEB and RPM packages for major Linux distributions via its website.
Furthering this with an official foothold on Flathub would make it easier for users to install Vivaldi on Linux (no need to go fetch installers) and help them receive future updates faster thank to automatic updates (plus the the browser would reach a wider audience, potentially increasing its user base).
Additionally, Vivaldi’s backing would signal to other software vendors that Flathub is where it’s at. Increasingly, Flathub it not only where Linux users go to find software but where they expect to find it.
Vendors of popular apps not taking advantage of the demand and the benefits, putting their wares on Flathub officially will likely find the community will do it for them, unofficially.
Thanks anon
