[SOLVED] Install Ubuntu 20.04 WITHOUT installing snapd ?

AnneF · 12-01-2020, 03:36 PM

Is it possible to install Ubuntu 20.04 (from USB) WITHOUT snapd?

If it is not possible, then can it be uninstalled and replaced with something else?

If so, then what is the best way to install packages?

wpeckham · 12-01-2020, 03:45 PM

Why don't you install Ubuntu, then rip out SNAP and any orphan dependencies and see how it works? Or, install MINT (which is almost a customized Ubuntu only without SNAP) which already has those kinks worked out.

jamison20000e · 12-01-2020, 03:46 PM

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/In...tion/MinimalCD

Edit: It may not be like a Debian-netinst where you gain ability to install less but should be able to install without a net connection (for minimal-install) then add more later...

AnneF · 12-01-2020, 05:57 PM

You both suggest Debian, and that would be my first choice too, except for hardware drivers. I'm not good at drivers, and I don't want to start off with problems. I'd like to get a good feel for Linux itself before I tackle something like that - a personal nemesis.

By "rip it out" I assume you mean uninstall it? I guess the answer to my first question is "no" and the second is "yes". (i.e. I can't NOT install it, but I can uninstall it.) I might do that, or I might just ignore it for the time being and install synaptic, or use apt.

I thought I read somewhere in Mint, that snapd uninstalled or disabled the package manager that Debian used, or something like that. Oh well, I can get around it, at least. Thanks, guys. --AnneF

jamison20000e · 12-01-2020, 06:21 PM

The sources for the non-free .iso files: https://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/u...ding-firmware/
are only unofficial because (like (for many other reasons too) Ubuntu) they're not fully open source as in freedom?

I used them, as seen:

Code:

cat /etc/apt/sources.list
# 

# deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 10.4.0 _Buster_ - Unofficial amd64 DVD Binary-1 with firmware 20200509-10:26]/ buster contrib main non-free

#deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 10.4.0 _Buster_ - Unofficial amd64 DVD Binary-1 with firmware 20200509-10:26]/ buster contrib main non-free

deb http://debian.uchicago.edu/debian/ sid main non-free contrib
deb-src http://debian.uchicago.edu/debian/ sid main non-free contrib

# This system was installed using small removable media
# (e.g. netinst, live or single CD). The matching "deb cdrom"
# entries were disabled at the end of the installation process.
# For information about how to configure apt package sources,
# see the sources.list(5) manual.

but, if the cdrom bits were official could just add non-free in with vi or whatever.

Have fun!

jamison20000e · 12-01-2020, 06:29 PM

I just tried removing it here, with the above sources.list and KDE (plus several other desktops installed) to see what happens and:

Quote:

Package 'snapd' is not installed, so not removed

AnneF · 12-01-2020, 07:03 PM

Not installed? Interesting, Jamison, I don't understand everything in your first post (yet), but the man find link on searches will be very helpful, I know. Thanx, AnneF

Oh, the two man find links were different! I had read about non-free firmware, but I just don't know enough yet to even know what I would need. I wish the Debian folks would work on the firmware for the hardware a bit. I would imagine even more people would choose Debian if it recognized & installed their hardware as well as other distros seem to do. I wonder why it doesn't?

Timothy Miller · 12-01-2020, 07:08 PM

With KDE Neon (based on Ubuntu) I do an

Code:

apt purge snapd

then

Code:

vi /etc/apt/preferences.d/snapd
Package: snapd
Pin: release n=*
Pin-Priority: -100

That file will prevent it from EVER being installed even if someone explicitly attempted to install it, or some package depends on it.

AnneF · 12-01-2020, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Timothy Miller

With KDE Neon (based on Ubuntu) I do an

Code:

apt purge snapd

then

Code:

vi /etc/apt/preferences.d/snapd
Package: snapd
Pin: release n=*
Pin-Priority: -100

That file will prevent it from EVER being installed even if someone explicitly attempted to install it, or some package depends on it.

Wow, Timothy. Thank you. Are you saying that this action is not reversible in the future?

Where do you keep all those computers? You don't happen to know how to get a Firefox profile, or even just bookmarks and passwords from Windows to Linux, do you? (mainly passwords)

Thank you so much, -- AnneF

Timothy Miller · 12-01-2020, 07:35 PM

As long as the file is there, it won't be installable. But delete the file, do an apt update, and you'd be able to install it if you changed your mind.

As far as the laptops, since they are laptops, they don't take a lot of space so most of them are in their bags in the closet in the master bedroom (which is used as a den).

Firefox I know how to do bookmarks (Export > Import), but that may or may not also work for passwords (I use BitWarden for saving passwords across multiple OS's and browsers).

AnneF · 12-02-2020, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Timothy Miller

As long as the file is there, it won't be installable. But delete the file, do an apt update, and you'd be able to install it if you changed your mind.

Good to know. I don't like to burn my bridges, if I can help it. Thanks, Timothy.

Firefox really fell down on the job as far as import/export goes. I recently saw where FF can now (v.80) export passwords as a .cvs file, but I'm not sure whether Linux FF can import it yet or not.

The reason I use FF for a password mgr is that your password file can remain OPEN, but ONLY for filling logins into sites (with hidden passwords). To actually VIEW or EXPORT passwords, you have to open the PW mgr in edit level and enter a password again. When you close the edit tab, FF goes back to filling in logins, but passwords are once again hidden.

The other PW mgrs. I've tried only have two states: entirely open (including passwords) or entirely closed (won't fill in logins). FF Backups are also encrypted to the master password in effect when the backup was made. Plus, I don't want to have to "sync" my passwords anywhere else - I don't want them leaving my machine.

Thanks for all the good info - and How-To - about snapd. When I was reading about Mint, I saw their point about snapd being proprietary not being a good thing, or in keeping with the spirit of Linux. So why don't I install Mint? It may be a bit silly, but the warm colors of Gnome make me feel good and the weird greens of Mint do not.

There are others, but I can't read grey-on-grey very well, and find that charcoals, greys, blacks, and buffs are a bit too cold and mechanical for my taste. So it's Ubuntu for now, and maybe Debian later, when I feel a bit more competent, and less chicken about firmware. --Anne
.

wpeckham · 12-02-2020, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnneF

Good to know. I don't like to burn my bridges, if I can help it. Thanks, Timothy.

Firefox really fell down on the job as far as import/export goes. I recently saw where FF can now (v.80) export passwords as a .cvs file, but I'm not sure whether Linux FF can import it yet or not.

The reason I use FF for a password mgr is that your password file can remain OPEN, but ONLY for filling logins into sites (with hidden passwords). To actually VIEW or EXPORT passwords, you have to open the PW mgr in edit level and enter a password again. When you close the edit tab, FF goes back to filling in logins, but passwords are once again hidden.

The other PW mgrs. I've tried only have two states: entirely open (including passwords) or entirely closed (won't fill in logins). FF Backups are also encrypted to the master password in effect when the backup was made. Plus, I don't want to have to "sync" my passwords anywhere else - I don't want them leaving my machine.

Thanks for all the good info - and How-To - about snapd. When I was reading about Mint, I saw their point about snapd being proprietary not being a good thing, or in keeping with the spirit of Linux. So why don't I install Mint? It may be a bit silly, but the warm colors of Gnome make me feel good and the weird greens of Mint do not.

There are others, but I can't read grey-on-grey very well, and find that charcoals, greys, blacks, and buffs are a bit too cold and mechanical for my taste. So it's Ubuntu for now, and maybe Debian later, when I feel a bit more competent, and less chicken about firmware. --Anne
.

To be fair, Firefox (actually Mozilla) has no need to focus on import/export while they have Firefox Sync. Register and load that up using your firefox browser and it saves your bookmarks, passwords, settings, extensions, and theme. Start another instance of Firefox on a different machine and log into sync, SHAZAM your settings, apps, etc are all in place and current. Whe that works, why import or export anything?

AnneF · 12-02-2020, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wpeckham

To be fair, Firefox (actually Mozilla) has no need to focus on import/export while they have Firefox Sync. Register and load that up using your firefox browser and it saves your bookmarks, passwords, settings, extensions, and theme. Start another instance of Firefox on a different machine and log into sync, SHAZAM your settings, apps, etc are all in place and current. Whe that works, why import or export anything?

Thank you for that suggestion. That may be what I'll have to do, if Linux FF doesn't yet import .cvs files. I just don't like the idea of my passwords leaving my machine - that's one of the reasons I use FF PWMgr, it allows me to keep everything on my own machine.

Do you know whether you can afterward delete your own information from the "cloud" or wherever FF put it? (And, of course, then disable "sync" in Firefox? on both OSs) Thanks, Anne
.

evo2 · 12-02-2020, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnneF

I wonder why it doesn't?

It is a fundamental policy choice to not include non-free software.

wpeckham · 12-03-2020, 04:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnneF

Thank you for that suggestion. That may be what I'll have to do, if Linux FF doesn't yet import .cvs files. I just don't like the idea of my passwords leaving my machine - that's one of the reasons I use FF PWMgr, it allows me to keep everything on my own machine.

Do you know whether you can afterward delete your own information from the "cloud" or wherever FF put it? (And, of course, then disable "sync" in Firefox? on both OSs) Thanks, Anne
.

IF you have doubts, you might want to research sync at Mozilla and satisfy yourself concerning the encryption and security, or use Lastpass or another cloud based secure password storage/sync option. I was a huge fan of Xitami, but Lastpass acquired and incorporated that software. Advantage: most of these tools do less than Firefox Sync and are not built in, but also have extensions for other browsers and are not specific to just Firefox!

One thing you want to avoid, is having two different tools attempting to sync passwords, bookmarks, or history at the same time. If you turn one on, first turn any others off.