Provide AppImage for Linux

[probonopd]

Would you be interested in providing an AppImage for Linux? It would have, among others, these advantages:

• Works for most Linux distributions (including Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE, CentOS, elementaryOS, Linux Mint, and others)
• One app = one file = super simple for users: just download one AppImage file, make it executable, and run
• No unpacking or installation necessary
• No root needed
• No system libraries changed
• Works out of the box, no installation of runtimes needed
• Optional desktop integration with appimaged
• Optional binary delta updates, e.g., for continuous builds (only download the binary diff) using AppImageUpdate
• Can optionally GPG2-sign your AppImages (inside the file)
• Works on Live ISOs
• Can use the same AppImages when dual-booting multiple distributions

Here is an overview of projects that are already distributing upstream-provided, official AppImages.

If you have questions, AppImage developers are on #AppImage on irc.freenode.net.
I'm happy to help if there is interest.

[YurySolovyov]

Hey, thanks for your interest.

1. Any examples of electron-based apps providing AppImage? It would be cool to have tooling that is easy to integrate without too much effort.
2. Does this has any relation with snap or flatpack? I've seen people requesting these too.

[probonopd]

Any examples of electron-based apps providing AppImage?

Yes, lots of the existing AppImages are Electron apps.
https://github.com/search?q=electron+appimage&type=Code&utf8=%E2%9C%93

electron-builder uses it as the default format for Linux. There is also https://www.npmjs.com/package/grunt-appimage but I haven't tried it so far.

You can always make an AppImage by hand by using appimagetool.

Does this has any relation with snap or flatpack?

Unlike Snap and Flatpak, AppImage runs on most distributions without having to install Snap or Flatpak first. And one application is always one file, which can be downloaded, copied, moved, and deleted -- which some people find more convenient than learning and dealing with with Snap or Flatpak to manage applications.

[martpie]

Is it a duplicate of #100?

[martpie]

I'll try to work on electron-builder this week. We have a fresh release so I'm feeling free to work on it

[probonopd]

Is it a duplicate of #100?

Well, technically no, since AppImage isn't an "installer", but yes, it serves a similar purpose.

[martpie]

AppImage seems better for app of this kind than snap or flatpak. It will be included in the binaries of the next releases once #339 will be merged.

Thanks again for the suggestion @probonopd.

[YurySolovyov]

Maybe off-topic, but I kinda wonder if snaps are auto updated or one need to manually install new versions?

[martpie]

I didn't really investigate auto-updating for now. I could not answer this.

[probonopd]

Ping, is there any chance we might see an AppImage on https://github.com/KeitIG/museeks/releases anytime soon? Thanks.

[YurySolovyov]

I think it will be available as the next release. You can also try building it yourself following instructions on readme.

[martpie]

@probonopd I could upload one for the last release if you want (just ask). But yeah, it was initially planned for the next release.

I can provide a .deb too.

[probonopd]

That would be great @KeitIG, thanks.

[martpie]

@probonopd You will find .debs and AppImages of the current master branch there: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0Bya5ObHuu9mNS29LMEhoNTJfOWs?usp=sharing

I encoutered a bug trying build rpm packages, I will have to investigate.

[probonopd]

@KeitIG works for me locally 👍 but for a real review I'd need a GitHub Releases download link.

[martpie]

but for a real review I'd need a GitHub Releases download link.

How that? I am not sure to understand.

The work on installers and AppImage has been between the last release and now. There is still one feature that I would like to implement before the next release, which is the #62, there won't be any re-release of the past version with installers I am afraid.

[probonopd]

No problem, I'll wait until the next release. (I am using an automated review system that downloads and inspects AppImages from GitHub Releases.)

[probonopd]

Is there an ETA for the next release?