Can I use GNOME Software or Discover now?
Yes, and we encourage users to do so. They have to be installed manually right now.
We invite anyone running KDE, Xfce or Budgie to install Discover. If you're on GNOME, please try out GNOME Software. You should only have one or the other installed, as they will conflict with each other and lead to unstable behavior.
When Solus 4.8 is released (no ETAs), these will be installed by default.
ℹ Note: If you set Discover / GNOME Software to apply updates after rebooting, it's recommended to remove Solus Software Center to avoid buggy behavior. You can do so by running this command:
sudo eopkg rm solus-sc solus-sc-icons
Please do file a bug report if you run into bugs to bring them to our attention.
When will Solus Software Center be deprecated?
Updated 2025-06-27
The short version is that it will be deprecated in 4.8, the next release, when we update the epoch.
The high-level plan for making GNOME Software default on GNOME, and Discover on the other spins is this:
- We are currently advising users to install GNOME Software / Discover on their systems, and use them for updates, so we can collect and address any issues.
- In 4.8, as you can see on its milestone, Gnome and KDE Software Center will be installed by default, and Solus SC will be deprecated.
- We have addressed most major issues with the software centers. We will continue to fix related bugs on our tracker in 4.8 and beyond.
Will there ever be a Solus user repo (SUR) like AUR for Arch?
The short answer is: maybe. This requires AerynOS tooling to be ready and stable for external projects like Solus to use. AerynOS is still in alpha status, and there is not a firm timeline for production quality at this time. When that tooling is ready, Solus Staff will discuss this and come to an agreement.
The history:
When Josh was a core maintainer (before focusing on Budgie development) he posted in 2023 that we would. In the meantime, a lot has changed.
What's changed since then
Support for snaps and flatpaks have gotten better over time (and can now be updated directly in Discover / Gnome Software). A lot of work has been done to make packaging for Solus easier. Quite a few people have started maintaining packages, allowing us to support a greater number of packages.
There would be tradeoffs to a SUR
Pros:
- People have asked for it.
- It would allow individuals to host a private or public repo that's available outside of their local machine. It would allow them to package software that may be too niche for the official repo.
Cons:
- Software in a SUR would not be vetted. It may not be tested and might be unstable. It may not be safe.
- Solus would get bug reports and support requests on the forums for software that we don't provide (like we sometimes do for flatpaks). This would add to our maintenance burden just from having to redirect people.
