Linux Mint 20.3 has a new document manager app called “Thingy”, which is an “xapp”, and they are supposed to be “cross platform” apps. Does that mean I can add “Thingy” to Ubuntu / Gnome? How? Or do xapps have to be built in to the desktop by the developer?
you should be able to. Go here to download the .deb package. You may have to chase down some dependencies.
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Thanks very much for your link fo the deb download. I put the .deb in my Downloads folder, opened it with program installer. It says "the following dependencies are not met (like you predicted), but after the colon, there is no list of dependencies. I tried using Synaptic but it wasn’t able to find the .deb. So – I’m inclined to just forget about it; it’s probably “high maintenance”. “Thingy” is something I can easily live without. Thanks again.
I’ve just installed it in Linux Mint Ulyssa XFCE edition no problem. What you have to remember is Linux Mint is a whole different kettle of fish compared to plain old Canonicals Ubuntu. In my honest opinion Mint does things better out of the box, as time after time Canonical release their six monthly new Ubuntu OS with nothing but a bunch of bugs for users to try to get their heads around. The Mint team release Betas, which is so much better, than waiting around for Canonical to release patches. I’ve gone off of Canonical, with their OS because of the sheer backward thinking of releasing new OS with bugs in, instead of releasing betas, or not releasing Ubuntu till after all the bugs have been ironed out.
They should give up on releasing rushed six monthly Ubuntu’s and concentrate on getting the new release polished to perfection, before releasing. Yet people put up with all the bugs? If I were coming over to Linux for the first time and had been recommended Ubuntu as desktop of choice, a new release of, not 20.04. I would think what the hell? Maybe that is the norm for the Linux Desktop to be buggy as hell, when we all know that it isn’t.
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I would have to agree with clatterfordslim 
I’ve just about given up on Ubuntu. Don’t use them much anymore, they change their direction all the time with desktops and what have you. Kubuntu and Xubuntu are better but still not consistant.
Sick with Mint!
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Thanks for your comments; I get what you’re saying. I used Mint for several years until about a year ago and it’s great. I think my problem is that I enjoy installing different OSs because it’s like getting a new computer, like Xmas morning. I will probably switch from Ubuntu one of these days. On my “secondary” desktop I have both MInt and Zorin. First time with Zorin – it is unique, and has some strong plusses, but not as “solid” as Mint. With Ubuntu this is my first time using a “not LTS” version. I knew along with some new stuff I might see some “quirks”, especially with Wayland. Overall though, 21.10 has worked quite well for me. I use Xubuntu on my old laptop – no issues there.
Thanks, I’m a Mint fan too, but also am very attracted to “trying something different” periodically, so I do “pay a price” for that. I will upgrade to Ubuntu 22.04 LTS as soon as it comes out; then it won’t be too long before I switch so something else, maybe Mint again.
On a miniPC I installed Zorin 16 OS Core (free version) and it works very well. Have added wanted additional apps via the command line , not from Zorin’s apps list. After all Zorin like Mint draws from the Ubuntu repository.
Like others I no longer use Ubuntu , but only Mint and Zorin.
Frank in County Wicklow -Ireland
Thanks for your input. Nice to hear from Ireland! I’m impressed with Zorin, but it is new to me; how long have you been using it? Have you had any problems at all with it? I have one problem with it – it seems to be unable to shut off power on the computer – I have to do shutdown, and wait for black screen, then hold down the power button. I let it sit overnight once and it never did shut off power. MInt runs on the same machine and doesn’t have this issue.
–Jim in California
You have the Linux hoppity hop, hop syndrome. Trying to find something that does not exist on a Linux machine, or just curious whether or not that particular OS will run on your hardware or not syndrome? Seen reviews of how good a OS looks, but once installed it performs badly, so off to the next one syndrome. Impressed by how the OS performs and looks, but still looking for the thing you cannot explain what it is syndrome?
I have done all of this over the years and all I do now is fresh install Linux Mint Ulyssa XFCE, every three to four months to give it that fresh feel of newness. My daily Linux Mint OS is a work horse, from animation, story writing, video making, VirtualBoxing, YouTube, Netflix, Disney, BBC i-player, ITV-HUB, My4, My5, UKTV-Play watching, though not all at the same time.
That’s IT! Hoppity hop syndrome! Maybe there’s a vaccine for it. Well, I’m a retired engineer, with five OSs live – apparently I sort of enjoy my disease. It’s not the finding, it’s the search. I’m into music, art, making things and fixing things. The computers get their exercise on audio recording and editing, mechanical and electrical drawings, schematics, simulations, charts, graphs, and Python programming. I would like to do more digital art (painting) in the future.
–Jim
“Hoppiness is an inside job.”