Feature request: Option to whether a Flatpak should be installed systemwide or for the current user only

[IverCoder]

Apparently it is already possible to install apps systemwide as per the Yafti config. So, this feature request is now only for the ability to toggle the location.

It would make sense to install certain apps systemwide. For example, the Clocks, Calculator, and Firefox browser, which is supposed to be used by all users on the system. Installing them is inefficient on bandwidth and storage as they have to be downloaded and stored separately for each user.

I'm thinking of something like:

packages:
- Camera: org.gnome.Snapshot
  default-install-location: system
  - can-be-changed: false
- Grapejuice: net.brinkervii.grapejuice
  default-install-location: user
  - can-be-changed: true

default-install-location determines whether the Flatpak should be installed systemwide or for that user only. This can be either system or user.

- can-be-changed determines whether the user should be allowed to modify the option, for example, setting it to false to force apps like Camera and Calculator to be installed systemwide so no user will be accidentally left without them. This can be true or false. Of course this option wouldn't make sense yet as long as there's no feature to require a certain package to be installed.

[marcoceppi]

System / User options are available today. Here's an example where the default for a screen can be changed or overridden per-package. Letting users decide is something that's not supported and I'm not sure how best to represent that in the UI

[IverCoder]

Oh, my bad. I have updated the PR to acknowledge this.

[marcoceppi]

Could you update with how you'd expect the user experience for this to look? How would they choose system / user, etc

[IverCoder]

I think it would be as simple as a deop-down where the user can select "user" or "system", and it would be grayed out if can-be-changed is false

[secretmango]

I dont know GTK that much, but a lever-thing in the bottom left or so, or maybe a top right menu always visible, where you can opt-out of "system-wide" would fit

[abanna]

@firefoxlover just wanted to check in and see how things were going.

[abanna]

@IverCoder this can be done pretty easy. would like more information though.

[secretmango]

A lever in a free area, to switch between "install apps only for this user" and "install apps to the system".

Installing apps only for this user is supposed to have some form of security benefit but I dont know which. They cant use privilege escalation, so GPU Screen recorder does not work. I am not sure what others.

Apart from that I see no real point in using user flatpaks, the mentioned increased data usage, and the lack of possible polkit privilege escalation are a bit annoying.