What is stopping a desktop environment from being packaged as a #flatpak? I only ever see apps and libraries packaged, but never desktops. Is it just impossible or does it just not make sense for desktop environments to be sandboxed?
a "desktop", in the sense of the compositor, is a privileged component that needs to have access to various interfaces; it cannot be sandboxed, as it is part of the sandbox itself.
Other parts of the desktop, like settings, file manager, software installer, are similarly privileged components; if you tried sandboxing them while keeping them working, you'd have to open so many holes in the sandbox that it would be entirely pointless.
Emmanuele Bassi
in reply to justsoup • • •a "desktop", in the sense of the compositor, is a privileged component that needs to have access to various interfaces; it cannot be sandboxed, as it is part of the sandbox itself.
Other parts of the desktop, like settings, file manager, software installer, are similarly privileged components; if you tried sandboxing them while keeping them working, you'd have to open so many holes in the sandbox that it would be entirely pointless.