Snap-store can't install deb file from /tmp folder

[Mantas Kriaučiūnas]

Snap-store can't install deb file from /tmp folder and subfolders - I simply downloaded Chrome browser from https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb and choose "Open with Software Install" when Firefox asked if I want to save or open.
Then Snap Store was opened and I got an error message:
Failed to install file: not supported (see attached screenshot)

I've tried to install from the same google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb with command 'snap-store.ubuntu-software-local-file --local-filename' and got several error messages in terminal:

~$ snap-store.ubuntu-software-local-file --local-filename /tmp/mozilla_ubuntu-baltix0/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb
10:14:53:0213 Gtk Failed to load module "canberra-gtk-module"
10:14:53:0216 Gtk Failed to load module "canberra-gtk-module"
10:14:53:0266 Gs enabled plugins: desktop-categories, fwupd, os-release, packagekit, packagekit-local, packagekit-offline, packagekit-proxy, packagekit-refine-repos, packagekit-refresh, packagekit-upgrade, packagekit-url-to-app, appstream, desktop-menu-path, hardcoded-blacklist, hardcoded-popular, modalias, odrs, packagekit-refine, rewrite-resource, packagekit-history, provenance, snap, systemd-updates, generic-updates, provenance-license, icons, key-colors, key-colors-metadata
10:14:53:0266 Gs disabled plugins: dpkg, dummy, fedora-langpacks, fedora-pkgdb-collections, repos
10:14:53:0367 Gs /etc/PackageKit/Vendor.conf file not found
10:14:55:0202 Gs failed to copy file, falling back to /tmp/mozilla_ubuntu-baltix0/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb: Error when getting information for file “/tmp/mozilla_ubuntu-baltix0/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb”: No such file or directory
10:14:55:0205 Gs not GsPlugin error g-io-error-quark:1: Error when getting information for file “/tmp/mozilla_ubuntu-baltix0/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb”: No such file or directory
10:14:55:0205 Gs not GsPlugin error g-io-error-quark:1: Error when getting information for file “/tmp/mozilla_ubuntu-baltix0/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb”: No such file or directory
10:14:55:0483 Gs failed to convert file to GsApp: no application was created for running file-to-app with dedupe-flags=7 with refine-flags=require-license,require-url,require-size,require-version,require-history,require-setup-action,require-origin,require-related,require-menu-path,require-provenance,require-icon,require-permissions,require-origin-hostname,require-runtime,require-screenshots,require-categories,require-project-group,require-developer-name,require-kudos,content-rating with timeout=60 with file=/tmp/mozilla_ubuntu-baltix0/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb on plugin=packagekit-local

The same issue appears when .deb file is directly in /tmp:

~$ sudo mv -i /tmp/mozilla_ubuntu-baltix0/*.deb /tmp/
~$ ls /tmp/*.deb && snap-store.ubuntu-software-local-file --local-filename /tmp/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb
/tmp/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb
10:21:29:0582 Gtk Failed to load module "canberra-gtk-module"
10:21:29:0583 Gtk Failed to load module "canberra-gtk-module"
10:21:29:0631 Gs enabled plugins: desktop-categories, fwupd, os-release, packagekit, packagekit-local, packagekit-offline, packagekit-proxy, packagekit-refine-repos, packagekit-refresh, packagekit-upgrade, packagekit-url-to-app, appstream, desktop-menu-path, hardcoded-blacklist, hardcoded-popular, modalias, odrs, packagekit-refine, rewrite-resource, packagekit-history, provenance, snap, systemd-updates, generic-updates, provenance-license, icons, key-colors, key-colors-metadata
10:21:29:0631 Gs disabled plugins: dpkg, dummy, fedora-langpacks, fedora-pkgdb-collections, repos
10:21:29:0737 Gs /etc/PackageKit/Vendor.conf file not found
10:21:31:0563 Gs failed to copy file, falling back to /tmp/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb: Error when getting information for file “/tmp/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb”: No such file or directory
10:21:31:0566 Gs not GsPlugin error g-io-error-quark:1: Error when getting information for file “/tmp/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb”: No such file or directory
10:21:31:0566 Gs not GsPlugin error g-io-error-quark:1: Error when getting information for file “/tmp/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb”: No such file or directory
10:21:31:0864 Gs failed to convert file to GsApp: no application was created for running file-to-app with dedupe-flags=7 with refine-flags=require-license,require-url,require-size,require-version,require-history,require-setup-action,require-origin,require-related,require-menu-path,require-provenance,require-icon,require-permissions,require-origin-hostname,require-runtime,require-screenshots,require-categories,require-project-group,require-developer-name,require-kudos,content-rating with timeout=60 with file=/tmp/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb on plugin=packagekit-local

But errors disappears when I move .deb file from /tmp to home folder - then I get Snap-store window with Install button :

~$ sudo mv -i /tmp/*.deb ~
~$ ls *.deb && snap-store.ubuntu-software-local-file --local-filename ~/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb
google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb
10:23:08:0472 Gtk Failed to load module "canberra-gtk-module"
10:23:08:0475 Gtk Failed to load module "canberra-gtk-module"
10:23:08:0518 Gs enabled plugins: desktop-categories, fwupd, os-release, packagekit, packagekit-local, packagekit-offline, packagekit-proxy, packagekit-refine-repos, packagekit-refresh, packagekit-upgrade, packagekit-url-to-app, appstream, desktop-menu-path, hardcoded-blacklist, hardcoded-popular, modalias, odrs, packagekit-refine, rewrite-resource, packagekit-history, provenance, snap, systemd-updates, generic-updates, provenance-license, icons, key-colors, key-colors-metadata
10:23:08:0519 Gs disabled plugins: dpkg, dummy, fedora-langpacks, fedora-pkgdb-collections, repos
10:23:08:0620 Gs /etc/PackageKit/Vendor.conf file not found
10:23:16:0363 Gs gs_utils_append_key_value: assertion 'value != NULL' failed

Maybe software installed from snap packages can't access files in /tmp folder and subfolders?

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

Thank you for your bug report, that's expected since snaps are confined and don't share a common /tmp with the system, ideally the file portal would be used in those cases though

[Dan Robinson (dlrobinson)]

Simply saving the file to ~/Downloads and then opening it works just fine.

I wonder if there's a way to make this at least a more sensible error message than "file not supported" though. Obviously .deb files are supported, and someone that doesn't know or care that snaps are Sandboxed may not know what to do. Maybe there's a way to at least have snap store say "can't access file, try moving the file to your home folder"?

Or is there a preference somewhere in Firefox to have it save things to your chosen Downloads folder even if you select "Open with..." rather than "Save file"? Should I open that bug with Firefox?

[Mantas Kriaučiūnas (mantas)]

@ken-vandine, please don't mark valid issues as invalid - I know hundred of people who got this bug when tried to install software from .deb file downloaded with internet browser, like Google Chrome, Zoom, OnlyOffice, Scratux, Skype, etc. on Ubuntu 20.04 :(
Because when you download .deb file default action in Firefox is "Open with Software Install" (downloads .deb file to /tmp/mozilla_username/ folder and opens that file with Snap Store)

I will be forced to replace Snap Store with original Gnome Software in our Ubuntu-based distribution for Lithuania (see https://launchpad.net/baltix) if Ubuntu developers doesn't want to fix this important usability issue. Sone official Ubuntu derivatives already did this.

[Mantas Kriaučiūnas (mantas)]

I've found lots of Ubuntu 20.04 users on forums, who meet this issue, for example:
https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/is-ubuntu-software-going-to-be-remove-for-snap-snap-store/14542/123
https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/is-ubuntu-software-going-to-be-remove-for-snap-snap-store/14542/141
There is also the same suggested solution like seb128 said - use files portal:
I tested the installation of .deb files again and I think I’m hitting the “sharing files to a snap via temp” issue: https://forum.snapcraft.io/t/sharing-files-via-tmp/1613/26 2
When I open the .deb files from the browser, I get the “Failed to install file: not supported” error but they work correctly when I download them to Home and then open them via Files.

Since this version of the snap store should only run on Ubuntu 20.04, maybe you can use files portal for this

[joshas (joshas)]

This is really important issue, especially now with surge on new users rushing to Linux. Consider scenario, when new user tries to install Steam: after clicking "Download Steam" button on website Firefox defaults to "Open with Software Install" and pressing OK leaves user stumped with cryptic error message "Failed to install file: not supported". Some users might give up right here, as OS states that package is supposedly "not supported".
If fixing this issue is impossible or too complicated, at least add a helpful error message, that informs user to download package to disk and run it from there.

[Michel-Ekimia (michel.ekimia)]

Well , Such an important issue should have more love , isn't it ?