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So, thanks to this bug: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/snapd/+bug/1575053 I would rather not use Snap packages. The only one that I really use is Calculator but I would like to replace all of them with a deb version. How would I go about it?

M. Becerra
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sup
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    Can you not uninstall it and then install it via apt ? – M. Becerra May 23 '18 at 12:37
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    you can just hide the ~/snap folder following this answer. If you want to stop using the whole Snapd ecosystem you may try my answer down below – Eskander Bejaoui May 23 '18 at 15:18
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    Yes, but hten I still get to see it in terminal. – sup May 23 '18 at 17:25
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    A couple of other shortcomings that make the snap apps a downgrade from a UX perspective over their traditional APT counterparts (that were stock in 17.10):
    1. They're noticeably slower to launch (even on a 1 year old flagship laptop)
    2. They don't adjust to system-wide themeing

    Hopefully these shortcomings will be resolved soon but until then Eskander's solution is a very nice and easy fix.

     – sxc731 Aug 22 '18 at 08:19

3 Answers3

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Snap packages installed by default in Ubuntu 18.04 LTS are:

  • gnome-calculator
  • gnome-characters
  • gnome-logs
  • gnome-system-monitor

Which can be found using the command sudo snap list. To remove default Snap apps use:

sudo snap remove gnome-calculator gnome-characters gnome-logs gnome-system-monitor

Then install their .deb counterparts with:

sudo apt install gnome-calculator gnome-characters gnome-logs gnome-system-monitor

Additionaly, you can uninstall the whole Snapd ecosystem from your computer with:

sudo apt purge snapd squashfs-tools gnome-software-plugin-snap
Eskander Bejaoui
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  • Gnoem characters says sudo snap remove gnome-calculator gnome-characters gnome-logs gnome-system-monitor – sup May 23 '18 at 16:17
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    @sup I'm not sure I understand – Eskander Bejaoui May 23 '18 at 16:23
  • No, of course not, wrong paste, sorry, I meant: sudo apt install gnome-characters givesPackage gnome-characters is not available, but is referred to by another package. – sup May 23 '18 at 17:18
  • this is strange, I'm quite sure that's what the package is called on packages.ubuntu.com and on launhpad. did you try sudo apt update before installing? – Eskander Bejaoui May 23 '18 at 17:29
  • Indeed, updating the database help, not sure why the other packages installed correctly, thanks! I accepted the other answer as I think it is easier to follow, I actually used your solution, being a friend of th ecommand line. And I should look it up myself. – sup May 23 '18 at 21:18
  • the graphical way involves checking whether every single app is a snap or not, I'm not sure if that's easier – Eskander Bejaoui May 23 '18 at 21:23
  • What about /snap/gnome-3-26-1604/, which appears to be Ubuntu Desktop ? Any way of replacing those with apt packages? – FooBar Jun 03 '18 at 13:12
  • @FooBar that one is an SDK for GNOME snap apps and not an actual program. If you don't plan on using snaps you won't need it. – Eskander Bejaoui Jun 05 '18 at 14:23
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    (i) You're linking to 28-1804, are you certain it's the same? (ii) Your list came across as exhaustive, yet I find that package and core installed, which I did not add -- I installed barebones version of the latest Ubuntu LTS. Were they both preinstalled? – FooBar Jun 05 '18 at 14:40
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    Yep not the same, I linked a newer one but same concept. And core is part of Snapd, which gets deleted along with it – Eskander Bejaoui Jun 05 '18 at 15:00
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    Kudo for mentioning which gnome default comes as snap, thanks. – Gaurav Gandhi Nov 15 '18 at 09:48
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    This is insane. I was wondering why calculator suddenly takes so long to load. This will probably make me get rid of ubuntu. – dbrank0 May 14 '20 at 10:21
32

This answer is for Ubuntu 18.04 LTS. The version 16.04 LTS came with the deb version by default and not the snap version.

The Graphical way

Click on the Ubuntu Software icon and search for gnome-calc:

enter image description here

To verify which is which, click on each one in turn. When you click on the installed version and scroll down you will see:

enter image description here

Note the Snap Store at the bottom

When you click on the second one and scroll down you will see:

enter image description here

Now you can click on Remove button for the snap version to remove it. Similarly click on the Install button to install the deb version. In both cases you will be asked for the password.

The command line way

Open a terminal by entering Ctrl+Alt+T and enter to following to remove the snap version:

sudo snap remove gnome-calculator

and enter the following to install the deb version:

sudo apt install gnome-calculator

You will be prompted for your password. Unlike the graphical method, you will not see any ***** and the cursor will not move when you type your password. This is normal.

Hope this helps

user68186
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    Also, note that removing Snap packages are usually safe since snaps supplies its own libraries in their install. (much like Windows program installation and its .db files) – Aryo Adhi May 23 '18 at 13:31
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This will remove all snap packages except core and core18 in one command

sudo snap remove `sudo snap list | cut -d " " -f 1 | tail -n 2 | grep -v 'core' | tr '\n' ' '`

To finish purging do like mentioned above:

sudo apt -y purge snapd gnome-software-plugin-snap

I'm assuming you might seen squashfs-tools in another package

rivanov
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