Hello,
I have been listening to the debate on snap, flatpak and app image. There seems to be 2 sides to this. In the corporate Linux world it seems that sysadmins and developers see these package manager as a way to allow software to be installed without having several different package managers depending on the distro. In other words, it wouldn't matter the distro, the apps would be able to be installed without issues.
The other thing is the fragmentation of Linux, which is keeping it from being a major player on the desktop. Linux needs a unified way regardless of the distro to be able to just allow people to install the software they want so they can get on with their work. I see this a a good thing.
The other side of the coin is those who continue to maybe not really understand the freedom concept of Linux and has begun to distort what Linux is really about. While no one wants a corporation or even a distro to tell them what they can or cannot do with the software, Linux needs a viable way to allow proprietary software that Linux does not have to run on the platform. People have work to do, and I would rather run adobe, Office or any mac software on a solid Linux foundation then on the MS, Apple, Android foundation.
Linux developers need to create the applications that 98% of the world is using in order to feed there families and pay their bills. Right now linux is great on the server side, cloud side. But if I am someone who needs applications like photoshop, or any of the main applications for music production, movie production, graphics, arts and crafts, podcasting, 3D printing, game development I would have to jump through hoops to find the apps and then learn them. Why would anyone want to go through that when they can stay on Windows, Apple and get their work done.
I have listened to popey, Chris LAS, Noah and a host of people from Destination Linux, and many other Linux advocates and they all say the same thing. Linux needs a single point of distribution of apps, as well as apps that are on the same level if not better than proprietary software. Linux will always be free as Linux is really just the kernel and the core parts that make up the OS.
I think a lot of people have never really understood or read the history of Linux and why it was created, instead some have turned it into a religion instead of just a piece of software to get work done.
It's funny to me, to see people complain about proprietary software, when they used it for years and had no problem with it, even when they paid enormously for it and it really wasn't worth the money. It never seems to stop anyone from doing what they wanted to, they just could not change it.
I understand the Big Brother aspect of computing, and as long as corporations have anything to do with it, it will continue. After all doesn't it cross one's mind that when you get a trademark, patent or any other license to protect your work, that the government is the one to give you that? So they have control, no matter what you or I think. The real problem is the greed of Individuals who own the corporations who want to control the data, so they can continue to make billions off of our personal business. That is more of a issue, then anything else. Linux is Open Source software, it is created by people all across the world so that they can use their computers and do some very incredible things. It is because of that we have the freedom to use the computer for what it was intended which was creativity, and allows those who would not be able to have a platform in which they too can support their families, communicate and have fun doing so.
And that's what makes, Debian, Debian as well as all the other Linux distro's out there.