Edge on Linux: Package Formats?

[tomscharbach]

@MissyQ "Make Edge available on Linux" made it to the Top Feedback List about three months ago, and from what I can gather from the trade press and third-party forums on the on the question, a Linux Edge release is anticipated sometime this summer. 

For those of us who work with Linux and need to plan ahead for testing, it would be very helpful to know what package formats -- e.g. deb, eopkg, rpm, Flatpak, Snapd -- Microsoft plans to release for testing and/or deployment. 

Would it be possible for you to ask the Edge on Linux development team about this and let us know?

[#2 · Accepted solution]

@tomscharbach Hey, Tom! Thanks so much for the question. Unfortunately, I don't have an answer at this time. Any details I have for everyone will end up being posted in my top feedback summaries, so be sure to keep an eye out there for those (as you've clearly been doing). I will try to keep in mind to ask the team if there's package details for Linux whenever I get my first updates so that I can address that as soon as possible.

I seriously love seeing everyone's excitement for this version of Edge, and I understand that people's excitement is growing. Please do not hesitate to tag me in other question posts, or simply send me a private message. :D

Missy Quarry (she/her/hers)
Community Manager - Microsoft Edge

[#3]

@MissyQ  "Any details I have for everyone will end up being posted in my top feedback summaries, so be sure to keep an eye out there for those (as you've clearly been doing). I will try to keep in mind to ask the team if there's package details for Linux whenever I get my first updates so that I can address that as soon as possible."

Thanks, MissyQ.  I hope that the Edge on Linux team will be able to provide you with the information, assuming that the team is far enough along in the project to have developed a delivery strategy. 

I'll check with sources in the Flatpak and eopkg communities and see if anyone knows anything, as well, and report any reliable information I get from them to you by private message.  

I'm reasonably confident that Microsoft will release Flatpak and Snapd packages because those formats package dependencies along with the app (less impact on the kernel/distro, updated independently) and are supported by many/most distros.  I think that most Linux users would like to see Microsoft develop "native" deb, eopkg, rpm packages as well, though (arguably better integration) but that is a more complicated undertaking, and Microsoft might not think that is cost effective.

We'll know more in 6-12 months, I imagine.

[#4]

@tomscharbachI would assume they will be snap first since Microsoft and Canonical have such a tight relationship and code, teams, and powershell are already snaps maintained my Microsoft.

[#5]

Naah, i think that ms takes same approach with edge what they have with skype for linux. There are deb, rpm and perhaps snap?. Deb is most important one because debian based systems are the largest desktop linux distros. I dont personally like those universal package formats because they not integrate very nicely to different desktops and some of them are very large by filesize and they are slow, something what you dont want be in case with browser.

[#6]

@survivor303 I have to agree on your point on universal package formats like flatpack or appimage. File sizes are sometimes more than double of what was necessary. I have a few apps as appimage and they are running OK, but Desktop integration was a PITA, to say it nicely. Not even mention updating the apps, that's where it gets really ridiculous.

Speed is also an issue with these package formats. We should not forget that a lot of Linux Desktops run on older hardware that may only have 2 GB of RAM and an old CPU. 

[#7]

Hi @tomscharbach and @MissyQ,

I maintain the Microsoft Edge Flatpak package. See this GitHub repository. I wouldn't mind giving access to it to an employee, but I would appreciate to get the appropriate credits, since I am one of the authors of this Flatpak package.

Currently it is in the beta repository, as we need to do more testing and need more feedback. Users can already install the package by adding the Flathub Beta remote, and then running

flatpak install com.microsoft.Edge

The Flathub wiki has a dedicated section on what to do if you want to gain access to the repository: https://github.com/flathub/flathub/wiki/App-Submission#someone-else-has-put-my-app-on-flathubwhat-do....

[#8]

Is this an official Microsoft package, or if not, is this package authorized by Microsoft?

[#9]

No, it's not an official package, and no, it's not authorized by Microsoft.

[#10]

@TheEvilSkeleton "No, it's not an official package, and no, it's not authorized by Microsoft."

Thanks for the clarification.  As I understand it, Microsoft Edge is not freely distributable, so there may be legal issues with an independent Flatpak pacjage.   I see that you copied  @MissyQ in your comment above, so if there is a legal issue, she will probably follow up with you.    

[#11]

@tomscharbach 

We're not distributing nor redistributing it. We're using extra-data to avoid doing both.

There is a video that explains how extra-data avoids them in clear details: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnnJRP4t9gM&t=3220s

[#12]

"We're not distributing nor redistributing it. We're using extra-data to avoid doing both."

That's good to know.  I look forward to seeing the project develop as it moves forward.

[#13]

No problem! As I said before, an employee is free to gain write access to the repository so they can maintain the Edge Flatpak package. They just have to read through the section at Flathub: https://github.com/flathub/flathub/wiki/App-Submission#someone-else-has-put-my-app-on-flathubwhat-do...

[#14]

@TheEvilSkeleton "As I said before, an employee is free to gain write access to the repository so they can maintain the Edge Flatpak package."

You've brought @MissyQ, a Microsoft employee and a conduit between this forum and the development teams, into the discussion.  You've done what you can to make Microsoft aware of the project and to seek Microsoft involvement.   At this point, it is up to Microsoft to pick up the ball, or not.

[#15]

@tomscharbach hey, do you have an idea about when they will reach us?

If not, do you know where I can directly contact them?

[#16]

@TheEvilSkeleton  "[D]o you have an idea about when they will reach us?  If not, do you know where I can directly contact them?"

I don't.  I've been on this forum for two years now, and getting Microsoft employees to respond is hit an miss.  I suggest that you directly contact Elliot Kirk, the project's senior software engineer, and ask him to put you in contact with whichever team member(s) should be involved.  You can contact him directly using the "Message" block on Ellioit's profile page.

You and your team have done an excellent job with the project, by the way.  The transition from Dev to Beta last week was smooth as silk.  Because the Edge-Linux Beta is the same version as the Win10 Beta, I won't be surprised to see Edge-Linux Stable released mid-summer.  My understanding is that your project will be moved from the Flathub Beta repository to the Flathub Stable repository when the Stable version of Edge is released. Is that correct?  I hope so, anyway.

I've used your Flatpak build on Solus OS Budgie (an independent release that uses eopkg rather than deb or rpm) since you first mentioned it in this thread, and it has been flawless.  I've tried to spread the news on this forum and in the Solus OS forums.  Just to make sure everyone is aware of the project, and I will do so again in this post:

Edge-Linux is available as a Flatpak, in Beta:

(1) Install Flatpak if it is not already installed.

(2) Install the Flathub BETA repository via the terminal, using these commands:

flatpak remote-add flathub-beta https://flathub.org/beta-repo/flathub-beta.flatpakrepo

flatpak install flathub-beta org.godotengine.Godot

(3) Install Microsoft Edge via the terminal, using this command:

flatpak install com.microsoft.Edge

The Github for the Flatpak/Flathub project is https://github.com/flathub/com.microsoft.Edge/

[#17]

@tomscharbach "I don't.  I've been on this forum for two years now, and getting Microsoft employees to respond is hit an miss.  I suggest that you directly contact Elliot Kirk, the project's senior software engineer, and ask him to put you in contact with whichever team member(s) should be involved.  You can contact him directly using the "Message" block on Ellioit's profile page."

Thank you. I just contacted him.

@tomscharbach"You and your team have done an excellent job with the project, by the way.  The transition from Dev to Beta last week was smooth as silk.  Because the Edge-Linux Beta is the same version as the Win10 Beta, I won't be surprised to see Edge-Linux Stable released mid-summer.  My understanding is that your project will be moved from the Flathub Beta repository to the Flathub Stable repository when the Stable version of Edge is released. Is that correct?  I hope so, anyway."

Thank you for the feedback! Correct. The Beta builds will stay in the Beta branch for those that want to use the Beta builds. Once the Stable comes out, we will create a Stable branch so Flathub can ship both Beta and Stable.

However, we are still waiting for Chrome to transition to the stable branch of Flathub. That is because Flatpak already sandboxes every application, and sandboxing an already sandboxed application is a bit of a pain. Once everything becomes fully stable, that is when we will add the Stable branch.

[#18]

@tomscharbach I got no response. This is getting a bit frustrating as I also opened an issue on their GitHub and got no response there as well. Do you know what else I can do?

Edit: I used the feedback feature (Alt+Shift+I in Edge) to notify them again.

[#19]

@TheEvilSkeleton "I got no response. This is getting a bit frustrating as I also opened an issue on their GitHub and got no response there as well. Do you know what else I can do?"

I don't.  Microsoft has been remarkably non-responsive with respect to Edge-Linux throughout the last two years.  I don't recall a Microsoft Edge Team member responding to a single query about Edge-Linux during that time, and I have no other avenues of approach to Microsoft's Edge-Linux team to suggest.