Submitting an app to the PureOS store for the Librem 5

[coryholl]

Now that my Librem 5 is working again and I have my app working well on the device, I would like to submit it to the PureOS store. I understand I need to build a flatpak (read the manual, now I need to get my hands dirty), but I have some questions I haven’t found the answers to.

1. Can I submit a flatpak to only be in the PureOS store for the Librem 5? If I can do that I can include the correct config files for the Librem 5 in the flatpak so the end user wouldn’t need to tinker with it to get it working optimally.

2. In the submission requirements document, requirement #6 says: “The app must use the sm.puri.Platform and sm.puri.Sdk”. What does that mean? sm.puri.Platform is described as a runtime but my app packages CPython3.12 and Kivy 2.3.0 as its runtime. This requirement confuses me. Where can I find more info on this requirement?

3. Requirement #7 says “The app should use GTK (ideally most recent version) since the PureOS platform is build on top of GNOME)”. Since it says “should” rather than “must” I presume this means that I am okay. Am I correct?

Just for context, this is the app I am trying to submit to the PureOS store for the Librem 5.

Muscle Buddy

[nerd7473]

@irvinewade might know where to start or @dos

[irvinewade]

@nerd7473

might know

Sorry, no, but …

@coryholl

I understand I need to build a flatpak

… that is one approach but it is not the only approach. I think that would be a good approach if you are typically using package versions that are way ahead of PureOS byzantium and you can’t just use compatible package versions e.g. need functionality that is only available in the “future”.

So I would say: (attempt to) build as a native application under byzantium, then see what breaks, if anything - and that is then your justification for using a flatpak, or not.

@coryholl

3. The app should use GTK

@coryholl

Since it says “should” rather than “must”

What are you using?

Probably the thrust of it is that if you instead build on top of a completely unrelated GUI widget framework then your app will haul in a whole pile of extra packages, which will make it bloated, using up more disk space than it needs to, will complicate support, and will reduce consistency in the look, feel and behaviour of apps.

But, yes, because of the choice of words, “should” v. “must”, I guess you are OK regardless.

[coryholl]

@irvinewade

So I would say: (attempt to) build as a native application under byzantium, then see what breaks, if anything - and that is then your justification for using a flatpak, or not.

Byzantium distributes CPython 3.9 but my app needs CPython 3.10 to 3.12. In fact most of the important parts of the app are missing from or at the wrong release level in byzantium.

That sounds like I need to make a flatpak, right?

@irvinewade

What are you using?

Probably the thrust of it is that if you instead build on top of a completely unrelated GUI widget framework then your app will haul in a whole pile of extra packages, which will make it bloated, using up more disk space than it needs to, will complicate support, and will reduce consistency in the look, feel and behaviour of apps.

But, yes, because of the choice of words, “should” v. “must”, I guess you are OK regardless.

CPython3.12, Kivy 2.3.0, KivyMD 1.1.1. This framework uses OpenGL as the render target. The ascetic is quite different from the other apps as it is similar to a game. An install from the yet to be released Beta-3 AppImage takes up 290M on my Librem 5.

Do you think that if I took the time to make the flatpak for the Librem 5, I would be wasting my time since the ascetic is alien when compared to the other apps in the PureOS store? It does take 20+ seconds to load, so you have to be patient for it to spin up. It is intended to be used for about an hour once a day by itself as you focus on your lifts.

Is there someone I can direct to the web site and ask if the app would be accepted if I submitted it before I go through the work? The Muscle Buddy videos page has 16 demo/tutorial videos. A reviewer could get a pretty good idea of the ascetic of the app by watching the videos.

Thanks for the advice! It helps me quite a bit.

[irvinewade]

@coryholl

That sounds like I need to make a flatpak, right?

Yes.

@coryholl

The ascetic is quite different from the other apps as it is similar to a game.

(I think you mean “aesthetic”, although the aesthetic could be ascetic .)

It’s not fatal anyway since the requirements say “should”, not “must”.

If you use a flatpak rather than a native app then at least a couple of the issues with going off in a different direction disappear anyway.

I think that if a user wants to use your app then s/he will use your app even if the look-and-feel is a bit different, as long as it is still intuitive to use - but that’s just an opinion.

I think you may be in uncharted territory as far as working through the requirements and understanding whether the app would be accepted. Let me see whether I can get a response from Purism.

[coryholl]

@irvinewade

(I think you mean “aesthetic”, although the aesthetic could be ascetic .)

I need to watch my spelling suggestions more closely.

@irvinewade

I think you may be in uncharted territory as far as working through the requirements and understanding whether the app would be accepted.

It looks that way. I couldn’t find any other threads on the topic. The submission process readme makes it sound like you post it via git and the only feedback you get is if your app shows up in the PureOS store some day.