RDM and Flatpak

Hi Michael,

Thanks for reaching out and for bringing this to us!

We recently moved Remote Desktop Manager from Flathub to our own Flatpak repository because of limitations imposed by Flathub. Maintaining the application there had become difficult and often required workarounds to ensure that the Flatpak version behaved as closely as possible to the native RDM application. This change simplifies the development process and helps prevent issues that affect only the Flatpak version. We don't plan on putting it back on Flathub, unless there's a good reason for it.

Regarding the installation issues, you are correct that both documented methods currently have problems.

The first issue, involving the .flatpakref installation method, was caused by a deployment problem in our release process. A temporary fix has now been applied, so you can retry the following:
flatpak install https://cdn.devolutions.net/download/Linux/RDM/com.devolutions.remotedesktopmanager.current.flatpakref

The second issue is an incorrect URL in our documentation. The correct repository URL is:
https://cdn.devolutions.net/flatpak/devolutions.flatpakrepo

You can add it using:
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists devolutions https://cdn.devolutions.net/flatpak/devolutions.flatpakrepo

We will correct the documentation shortly, and the deployment issue should also be permanently resolved later this week.

Sorry for the inconvenience. If you or other users think of a reason for us to go back on Flathub, we will reconsider this decision.

Best regards,

Hi,

Why did you go to Flathub in the first place?
Can you describe in detail the limitations imposed by Flathub?
Where there, when you took the decision or came after?
You welcome your own Flatpak repository with a deployment problem in your release process and an incorrect URL in your documentation.

Hello,

We initially chose Flathub because, at the time we decided to provide a Flatpak package, it seemed like the simplest and most established way to distribute it.

Over time, maintaining the Flathub package became increasingly difficult. Some new RDM features required Flatpak-specific implementations or workarounds that were not necessary for our other Linux packages. We also encountered a number of issues that were specific to the Flatpak version because of the restrictions we had to respect.

The main limitation for us was Flathub's sandboxing model. Applications are expected to request the narrowest permissions possible, which can conflict with RDM's purpose. RDM may need access to SSH configuration, certificates, smart cards, local sockets, devices, network resources, user files, system services and other applications installed on the host machine..

Some of these limitations were already present when we originally chose Flathub, but given RDM's functionality at the time, they were not significant enough to be a concern. As RDM evolved and gained more integrations and capabilities, those limitations became increasingly problematic.

More recently, another important factor was our decision to maintain two release branches: the current release and an Extended Maintenance Release. Flathub's distribution model does not fit well with the way we want to maintain and publish those two versions.

Moving to our own Flatpak repository gives us more control over the package, permissions, release channels, and deployment process.

Regarding the deployment issue and the incorrect URL in our documentation, those were issues on our side during the transition to the new repository. We’re sorry for the inconvenience this caused. The required fixes have now been applied, including the correction to the documentation.

Best regards,