Packman discontinued from Jan 1st 2027, but here's your chance!

English Open Chat
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Posted elsewhere by @jonc (thanks), English text below German version:
https://lists.links2linux.de/pipermail/packman/2026-August/018314.html

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Thanks for the info. I personally don’t use it but i suppose it’s good news for those who do that this project could survive

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I hope they (meaning multiple people, since a one-man-project definitely will fail) will make themselves very aware that:

  • neither openSUSE nor SUSE can sponsor in whatever way
  • it will require an awful lot of time
  • it will require a lot of spare time
  • the need for it to exist by a large userbase has already decreased and will continue to do so.
  • there is no way, the whole infra can be kept up in a reliable manner with some homelab stuff.
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Unfortunate, but sadly - even things that may appear eternal have a shelf life.

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Sorry to have to say this.
But the possible decline in demand has, let’s say, been significantly influenced by the many negative reports and the ‘bashing’.
Especially since Leap 16. But it started even before that. About five years ago, let’s say, it just wouldn’t have worked without Packman. And without Packman, I wouldn’t have stuck with openSUSE since the very beginning of SUSE and openSUSE.
I think this is extremely sad news.
Many thanks to Packman and its team for their great work!

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As you only seem to pass by the forums to claim that everything which differs from your opinion is/was „bashing“, you surely never noticed how much problems and conflicts where caused by packman. You can find out yourself by a basic forum search.
The regular, experienced forum helpers can tell you a thing or two about the recurring problems caused by packman. And no, thats not bashing but pure technical facts.

Times and demands change. Projects rise and fall and get replaced by other ways, projects, technologies. And even if some ppl decline it and call it „bashing“: flatpak causes less issues and conflicts as packman. And this is only because of a completely different packaging approach.

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The maintainers have given their reasons. Let’s not bring in unsupported claims about “bashing” being a significant factor with this.

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I was referring to:
“Demand for this service among a large user base has already declined and will continue to decline.”

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Ins…
It’s funny. It’s always the same people who can’t handle different opinions. I had to retract a clarification I made here. I had simply labeled one response as untrue because it spread a false statement about my post.

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As hui said - everything has a time and a place. “Chaque chose en son temps”

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No, you’re not sorry at all.

Sheer nonsense and you know it. Most of he stuff we needed Packman for had now expired patents ( f.e. mp3 )

If you read the entire post, Eric, grab the opportunity they are offering . You could even put all your stuff in there if you do.

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I was also an avid user many years ago. But over time, I used fewer and fewer packages from Packman as more and more of them became available in the official repositories. Because of that, and because Flatpak offers an ever-increasing number of packages, it was only a matter of time before the project eventually passed its peak.

But I’d still like to thank everyone who contributed to it. Twenty-five years is a hell of a long time to keep a project alive :clap: :clap: :clap:.

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I hope someone who uses it steps up to maintain it! :up:
Would be sad to see it go after 25 years! :smiling_face_with_tear:

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I agree with this to 100%.

When I started of with openSUSE (or what ever the name was at that time) a quarter of a century ago the Packman-repository was my saver. Without it I would not have stuck with openSUSE (or probably Linux at all) and even today I install vlc and ffmeg from Packman.

So many thanks to the Packman-team for all the effort they spent and the great results they offered to us.

Within the next weeks I will spent some time to learn how I can compile the stuff I need locally (in a VM or a spare machine) and if I fail … (no, definitely no Flatpaks).

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Many of todays openSUSE users (e.g. myself) would not have choosen openSUSE (or whatever the name was at the given time) or probably Linux at all if packman had not been available.

So even if many of the offerings from packman are not a game changer any longer the discussion here with “no need for packman” is from my point of view ungrateful at least.

I have used packman packages for nearly a quarter of a century and cannot remember one serious problem (waiting with a zypper dup for three days is not a problem to me).

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Hello!

I have simple practical question: what alternatives (to packman repo) we have for LEAP 16.x?

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So, that is already you, @pavinjoseph and @ecsos voluntering to take over?

Ah, no I misunderstood.

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As before in other threads: use Flatpaks.

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Why should anyone want to support a Flatpak-addicted community?

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Let there be no mistake: I am very grateful for what the Packman contributors did and meant for SUSE / openSUSE.From that perspective and what they wrote, I respect their decision.

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