Is it smart to use only flatpak?

[WilfordGleichner]

I have used arch for 2 years but i got tired of Arch Packages and AUR, i wanted to try something new. So i installed fresh arch, i put vanilla gnome on it and i removed all usual apps that came with pacman. Only thing i left was Avahi,Qt V4l2,gnome-tweaks, and gnome extensions. Everything else i installed using flathub: Image viewer, vlc media player, document viewer, text editor, firefox... Is it smart to use a distro this way?

Edited by Geometry Vibes 2 days ago - 8:15 PM

[ustyfrittera]

I have used arch for 2 years but i got tired of Arch Packages and AUR, i wanted to try something new. So i installed fresh arch, i put vanilla gnome on it and i removed all usual apps that came with pacman. Only thing i left was Avahi,Qt V4l2,gnome-tweaks, and gnome extensions. Enjoy Friday Night Funkin and all of its popular mods without any restrictions. Everything else i installed using flathub: Image viewer, vlc media player, document viewer, text editor, firefox... Is it smart to use a distro this way?

Edited by Geometry VibesFNF 2 days ago - 8:15 PM

That’s actually a pretty smart and modern way to run a system, especially if your goal is stability, simplicity, and reproducibility. Using Flatpak/Flathub for apps isolates them from the base system, which means less breakage from Arch’s rolling updates, and you avoid AUR chaos completely. You get sandboxing, easier updates, and fewer package conflicts. Plus, GNOME integrates well with Flatpak.

The only thing to watch is disk usage and performance—Flatpaks can be heavier due to bundling dependencies, and sandboxing might cause small quirks. But if that doesn’t bother you, your setup is sleek, minimal, and future-proof. It’s like getting the best of Arch’s core system control without the maintenance headache for user apps.

[juironlwo]

I have used arch for 2 years but i got tired of Arch Packages and AUR, i wanted to try something new. So i installed fresh arch, i put vanilla gnome on it and i removed all usual apps that came with pacman. Only thing i left was Avahi,Qt V4l2,gnome-tweaks, and gnome extensions. Enjoy Friday Night Funkin and all of its popular mods without any restrictions. Everything else i installed using flathub: Image viewer, vlc media player, document viewer, text editor, firefox... Is it smart to use a distro this way?

Edited by geometry dash 2 days ago - 8:15 PM

That’s actually a pretty smart and modern way to run a system, especially if your goal is stability, simplicity, and reproducibility. Using Flatpak/Flathub for apps isolates them from the base system, which means less breakage from Arch’s rolling updates, and you avoid AUR chaos completely. You get sandboxing, easier updates, and fewer package conflicts. Plus, GNOME integrates well with Flatpak.

The only thing to watch is disk usage and performance—Flatpaks can be heavier due to bundling dependencies, and sandboxing might cause small quirks. But if that doesn’t bother you, your setup is sleek, minimal, and future-proof. It’s like getting the best of Arch’s core system control without the maintenance headache for user apps.

thanks sir. but you've moved this way to reduce the complexity of the AUR and Pacman package, but do you think relying too much on Flatpak could limit customizability or cause long-term performance issues?