If you want access to newer apps, many popular Linux apps are available as Flatpak packages.
Why Flatpak?
You might even want toinstall browsers other than Chrome, such as Firefox.
The stable version of Debian favors older versions of software.
If the user reports a bug, who’s responsible for fixing it?
Flatpak is an attempt to standardize packages for Linux.
The idea is that the developers only have to ship one app with all of its dependencies.
The app will be isolated from the libraries on the system, making it easier to troubleshoot problems.
Installing Flatpak on Chromebook
It’s easy to install Flatpak in Linux on a Chromebook.
You have to enable nested containers, or you might run into errors trying to install packages.
Finding Packages
There are two ways to search for packages to use with Flatpak.
This is a good idea if you don’t know exactly what you want.
Clicking “Install” will download the package reference.
The pages also provide command-line instructions.
Installing Flatpak Packages
Installing Flatpak packages is similar to installing APT packages.
For example, to install Firefox
you might also download the package reference from Flathub.
If you do this, you should make your Downloads folder available to Linux.
To install downloaded packages, navigate to the shared directory.
For example:
Then bang out this command
It’s easier to follow the command line instructions.
you might find them in your apps by using the search menu or calling them from the command line.
Using the command line is a little different with Flatpak.
A Flatpak app won’t be found normally.
You have to use the Flatpak command line app to call it.
It only takes a few clicks to install.
