Why this choice of repositories for the ownCloud client in Linux?

Desktop
#1

I wanted to install the latest version of the owncloud-client package available for my distribution (Linux Mint 20.2) which corresponds to the package for Ubuntu 20.04.

I found this page: https://software.opensuse.org/download/package?project=isv:ownCloud:desktop&package=owncloud-client

with the following instructions:

echo 'deb http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/isv:/ownCloud:/desktop/Ubuntu_20.04/ /' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/isv:ownCloud:desktop.list
curl -fsSL https://download.opensuse.org/repositories/isv:ownCloud:desktop/Ubuntu_20.04/Release.key | gpg --dearmor | sudo tee /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/isv_ownCloud_desktop.gpg > /dev/null
sudo apt update
sudo apt install owncloud-client

It installed owncloud-client 2.6.3+oc-2668 which is more recent than the version owncloud 2.5.1.10973+dfsg-1ubuntu4 available in the Ubuntu 20.04 Focal repository (see on https://packages.ubuntu.com/focal/net/).

However, I have now discovered this other page: https://download.owncloud.com/desktop/ownCloud/stable/latest/linux/download/

which indicates owncloud-client-2.8.2+oc-4246 as the latest version for Ubuntu 20.04, and which gives the following installation instructions:

wget -nv https://download.owncloud.com/desktop/ownCloud/stable/latest/linux/Ubuntu_20.04/Release.key -O - | sudo apt-key add -

echo 'deb https://download.owncloud.com/desktop/ownCloud/stable/latest/linux/Ubuntu_20.04/ /' | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list.d/owncloud.list
sudo apt update
sudo apt install owncloud-client

My questions are the following:

  • How comes OpenSuse offers to install an owncloud-client package for Ubuntu through its own repository? I suspect it is because they are contributing to the development of owncloud. But if so, why two different repositories with different versions available? Why not pointing directly to the more up-to-date repository on download.owncloud.com?
  • Also, maybe this is not the right place to ask but just in case someone here knows, on the openSuse repos there is a special repository for Linux Mint 19, which is based on Ubuntu 18.04, but not for Linux Mint 20. Why is this special repository required for Linux Mint 19 instead of the repository for Ubuntu 18.04? And will there be a special repository available for Linux Mint 20 in a near future?

Thanks a lot for your help in deciphering this.

#2

ownCloud team published the official pre-2.7 Linux packages for all distributions on software.opensuse.org, because they were built using the Suse OBS infrastructure. Downside was, too things can be controlled from ownCloud team in the OBS and on the Suse download mirrors.

Since 2.7, ownCloud team publishes official desktop Linux packages on download.owncloud.com

This is also what’s linked from the official ownCloud website The Desktop App for efficient syncing - ownCloud

Repos on ubuntu.com are community efforts without involvement from ownCloud team

2 Likes
#3

I see! Thanks a lot @michaelstingl.

Just one thing, I don’t quite understand this sentence:

Do you mean that the onwCloud team could not control everything they wanted in the OBS infrastructure and so that’s why they now have their own infrastructure?

Also, was it at the same period that owncloud.org became owncloud.com?

And any idea why they had to do a special package for Linux Mint?

#4

Sorry, I typed on mobile and missed 1.5 words

Downside was, too many things can’t be controlled from ownCloud team in the OBS and on the Suse download mirrors.

1 Like
#5

Lack of control was more about the representation on the download mirrors. Regarding builds, the team moved from OBS to Docker & Drone.io.

1 Like
#6

no, totally unrelated

1 Like
#7

Hey @michaelstingl,

i think it is strange / confusing that the client packages is still getting published at download.owncloud.com while the server packages got moved to software.opensuse.org a few weeks ago:

The first link has also a comment of @jnwagner which i think doesn’t sound that good:

Something is seriously broken in our internal OBS instance.

#8

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