Arch Linux

hypnagogic

Member

Registered: 2025-08-14

Posts: 3

Is using extracted AppImages for -bin releases really optimal?

I've noticed over the last few years it's become increasingly popular for packages that ship with AppImages to end up on the AUR, merely extracted as is.

Wouldn't it be better to use the traditional standard of offering a binary compiled from source? Using AppImages is convenient for package maintainers, I suppose, but isn't this bringing in unnecessary dependency bloat that could otherwise be avoided?

twelveeighty

Member

Registered: 2011-09-04

Posts: 1,395

Re: Is using extracted AppImages for -bin releases really optimal?

How else would you prefer the "-bin" version of a package to be provided? Because compiling it from source wouldn't be a "-bin" version of that package, but named without "-bin". By definition, the "traditional standard", as you define it, isn't a "-bin" package.

hypnagogic

Member

Registered: 2025-08-14

Posts: 3

Re: Is using extracted AppImages for -bin releases really optimal?

I don't know what you're trying to say. In the past, -bin packages were created from binaries that were compiled from source. It is still how -bin packages are done for packages that don't ship with AppImage variants.

Edit: clarified wording

Last edited by hypnagogic (2025-08-28 23:47:38)

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 24,857

Re: Is using extracted AppImages for -bin releases really optimal?

If the only binary upstream provides is the AppImage that's going to be the bin that gets repacked. There's not much say in that that any AUR maintainer can make.

Scimmia

Fellow

Registered: 2012-09-01

Posts: 13,146

Re: Is using extracted AppImages for -bin releases really optimal?

In the past, -bin packages were created by compiling the binaries from source. It is still how -bin packages are done for packages that don't ship with AppImage variants.

That is never, ever how -bin packages were created.

Lone_Wolf

Administrator

From: Netherlands, Europe

Registered: 2005-10-04

Posts: 14,361

Re: Is using extracted AppImages for -bin releases really optimal?

-bin packages use pre-compiled binaries , whether those come from a rpm , deb , tar.gz or appimage doesn't really matter .

If the sources of the packages are available, using -bin packages typically is a bad idea.

There are some cases where creating a -bin package even if the source is available has merits .
An example is software that comes with a pre-compiled deb that relies on debian-specific behaviour in dependencies (without mentioning that) .

Canon printer drivers suffer from that, which is why both cnrdrvcups-lb  and cnrdrvcups-lb-bin are in the aur.

EDIT

TL;DR: using aur *-bin pacakges is less then optimal .

Last edited by Lone_Wolf (2025-08-30 12:24:29)

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