Bug#1003268: gnome-software: Could favour Debian packages over Flatpak packages

[Yvan Masson]

Package: gnome-software
Version: 41.2-1
Severity: whishlist

Dear Maintainers,

By default, if package gnome-software-plugin-flatpak is installed and if 
a Flathpak repository is configured, Gnome Software will prefer Flatpak 
packages over Debian packages.

While I am really glad that Flatpak exists, it has some disadvantages 
compared to Debian packages:
- network usage for installation
- disk usage
- system integration issues

Recently, a dconf setting appeared in Gnome Software, with a detailed 
rationale, so that user can choose that Flatpak should not be the 
preferred packaging system[1].

As explained in the mentioned link, I also believe that there are more 
often issues with Flatpak packages than with Debian packages (I can give 
examples if requested). That is why I suggest that Debian should ship 
Gnome Software defaulting to install Debian packages.

1. https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-software/-/issues/1005

Regards,
Yvan

-- System Information:
Debian Release: bookworm/sid
   APT prefers testing
   APT policy: (500, 'testing')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)
Foreign Architectures: i386

Kernel: Linux 5.10.0-9-amd64 (SMP w/4 CPU threads)
Kernel taint flags: TAINT_WARN
Locale: LANG=fr_FR.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=fr_FR.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8), LANGUAGE 
not set
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /usr/bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)
LSM: AppArmor: enabled

Versions of packages gnome-software depends on:
ii  appstream                                    0.15.0-1
ii  apt-config-icons                             0.15.0-1
ii  dconf-gsettings-backend [gsettings-backend]  0.40.0-2
ii  gnome-software-common                        41.2-1
ii  gsettings-desktop-schemas                    41.0-2
ii  libappstream4                                0.15.0-1
ii  libatk1.0-0                                  2.36.0-3
ii  libc6                                        2.32-5
ii  libcairo2                                    1.16.0-5
ii  libfwupd2                                    1.5.7-5
ii  libgdk-pixbuf-2.0-0                          2.42.6+dfsg-2
ii  libglib2.0-0                                 2.70.2-1
ii  libgspell-1-2                                1.9.1-2
ii  libgtk-3-0                                   3.24.30-4
ii  libgtk3-perl                                 0.038-1
ii  libgudev-1.0-0                               237-2
ii  libhandy-1-0                                 1.5.0-1
ii  libjson-glib-1.0-0                           1.6.6-1
ii  libmalcontent-0-0                            0.10.3-1
ii  libpackagekit-glib2-18                       1.2.4-1
ii  libpango-1.0-0                               1.48.10+ds1-1
ii  libpolkit-gobject-1-0                        0.105-31
ii  libsoup2.4-1                                 2.74.2-1
ii  libxmlb2                                     0.3.6-1
ii  packagekit                                   1.2.4-1
ii  software-properties-gtk                      0.96.20.2-2.1

Versions of packages gnome-software recommends:
ii  fwupd  1.5.7-5

Versions of packages gnome-software suggests:
pn  apt-config-icons-hidpi         <none>
ii  gnome-software-plugin-flatpak  41.2-1
pn  gnome-software-plugin-snap     <none>

-- no debconf information
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