The SWAN (So what? Who cares? And then? for NEWBIES) of “AppImages”
“The new tech for the Smart Money, In-The-Know crowd is...wait for it…wait for it…AppImages! Uh-huh, uh-uh, ya can’t touch dis! [Drop the mike]"
The “So what” of Appimages -
If you’ve never tried or even heard of AppImages, you’re probably thinking, “WTF are AppImages? And what’s so frickin’ special about them?”
AppImages - A Newbie Primer
The Mac community has been using technology similar, but not identical to AppImages for quite awhile.
See: “AppImage for macOS switchers” - https://docs.appimage.org/user-guide/mac.htm
For the majority of users in the Windows, Linux and niche OS communities, AppImage technology is fairly new and hasn't made a noticeable blip on their radar - yet.
But that’s about to change very soon.
Popularity and adoption of AppImages is inevitable .
Why?
Simply because AppImages are, in several orders of magnitude, superior to all preceding methods of installing and running apps.
Consider this.
AppImages are uber-compatible, virtually “OS Agnostic”, enabling apps to run across platforms, even on the platforms previously regarded as strict, siloed communities.
AppImages don't require lengthy installation file downloads.
AppImage technology is Newbie-friendly and almost "Grunt-Proof".
[Warning: Tangent Inbound]
The short and skinny on “Grunts” -
Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) 0311 "Grunt Marines" are those lovable, "Never Say Die" work horses of the U.S. Marine Corp.
They normally occupy the lower ranks and can be easily identified by their overly-muscled bodies and charming, intellectually-impaired demeanors.
Although each country's military has their version of "Grunts", without exception, Grunts are considered expendable assets and routinely deployed as "first-wave, acceptable loss" cannon fodder.
Imagine that?
[End of Side-Bar]
AppImages are very forgiving; functioning perfectly from any location on the file system.
If desired, AppImages can be transportable; running on portable external media.
“Poor Mr. Installation Wizard. My crystal ball says he’ll be very lonely soon…”
Installing the AppImages -
Download the file into your chosen file system location.
Right click the AppImage file and navigate to "Properties",
Designate access levels ("users" means no restrictions).
Change all drop-down permission options to "Read & Write".
Check mark the "Make file Executable" box.
That's it, you're done!
To launch the AppImage, simply double-click (or click and choose "open") the file icon.
In most cases, the first time you try an AppImage version of a legacy app, you’ll notice a marked boost in speed and stability.
Submitted FYI.
May you and yours be well and loving life today.
In Lak’ech,
JaiChai