The Software Manager app in Linux Mint 22 will deliver faster start-up times and introduce a significant security safeguard for search results.
As you may know (and if you don’t, what’s living on Mars like? ;P), the Linux Mint Software Manager (package name mintinstall) allows users to install DEB packages from the Ubuntu/Linux Mint repositories as well as Flatpak apps from Flathub.
However, not all apps on Flathub are verified.
So, Software Manager will now show verified Flatpaks only. Unverified Flatpaks will not appear in any search results.
Now, a lack of verification isn’t necessarily a major red flag. Many unverified apps on Flathub (and other stores) come from trustworthy packagers and community efforts. But as we’ve seen on others stores, big-name software lacking verification can be iffy.
With this in mind, it’s understandable that Linux Mint is choosing to err on the side of caution and hide unverified Flatpak apps entirely from view.
Those who want to see and install unverified Flatpaks can still do so. A new preferences dialog has been added to Software Manager that has, among other options, a toggle to show unverified Flatpaks — but the distro makes clear this is “not recommended”, explaining: –
“Unverified Flatpaks represent a huge security risk. They are not officially approved by the developer of the application and could be maintained by anyone. To avoid potential malware, it is strongly recommended not to use unverified Flatpaks.”
The warning text for the new unverified opt-in switch
Additionally, when the ‘show unverified Flatpaks’ setting is enabled, unverified Flatpaks will appear in search results but will be listed below other, potentially less relevant but verified, results and will show an unverified warning icon beside them.
Beyond Flatpak filtering, there’s also a new setting to control how search results are handled ‘when an app has multiple formats’. Users can choose to show only a DEB/repo match, only the Flatpak match, or display both (the default setting).
And Linux Mint adds that the new version of Software Manager “loads faster than before and the main window appears instantly”. I can’t say I ever though the old version was slow, but improvements of any shade are welcome by me!
Overall, this is an interesting set of changes to look for when Linux Mint 22 is released in the summer.