> After installing the Snap package plugin, I restarted the system and then > browsed each category. I didn't see any non-free software immediately. The > listed packages were largely the same, with or without Snap package plugin > installed.
Sounds like the situation is better than it is in Ubuntu and better than it was in Trisquel before snap was removed. Spotify and other proprietary crap is/was immediately obvious. > This is probably because I only enabled the "main" repository. > Things might be different if I enabled the non-free repositories. That's what I wonder about. Since Snap packages are from third-parties, they wouldn't be in Debian's non-free or contrib repos anyway. In Ubuntu I assume that GNOME Software searches the "Snap Store"[1], but I'm not sure what it would do in Debian. What is the output of $ snap find libreoffice $ snap find spotify ? I'm interested to know what free or non-free software 'snap find' points to in Debian. > To sum up, I strongly discourage everyone to use Gnome Software. Use the > package manager from Terminal instead, for the sake of freedom. I think it is fine, important even, to have a graphical front end to the package manager. We should try to avoid the misconception that only proprietary operating systems are user-friendly enough for the average desktop user. Snap, on the other hand, I worry about. While it's possible to distribute free software as a Snap package, most common free software is already in the repos, and what isn't is buildable from source. Snap seems to be disproportionately useful to proprietary software developers, as their software is often only available as a binary and distributed by as many repos. In reading about Snap I came across a good example[2] demonstrating that (1) it is risky to install random out-of-repo software, (2) it is especially risky to install proprietary software, (3) it is irresponsible for a distro to distribute third-party and/or proprietary software, and (4) free software developers should use a copyleft license to protect their work, as a pushover license allows their well-intentioned labor to be exploited to create malicious software. [1] https://snapcraft.io/store [2] https://www.linuxuprising.com/2018/05/malware-found-in-ubuntu-snap-store.html
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