Publish Resolve as a Flatpak for Linux

Feature Proposal

Having DaVinci Resolve available as a Flatpak to download from the software manager, would be convenient as clicking Install and that's it. I have scoured every technical aspect on how to install and run Resolve with no issues and it's been difficult.

I know Rocky is the recommended OS for DaVinci Resolve, but as a Linux Mint user (based on Ubuntu and Debian), I'd rather prefer developers fixing compatibility, rather than have us users change a whole system.

Rocky, CentOS, and other Linux distributions based on RedHat have low hardware support and rely on extremely deprecated libraries which will not be installed by default on modern Linux distributions.

The Problems:

Computer specs:
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 (12GB)
CPU: Ryzen 9 5900X (4.8Ghz, 12 cores)
RAM: 64GB DDR4 3200Mhz
MOBO: ASUS ProArt B550-Creator
OS: Linux Mint 21.3 Cinnamon

The following issues below happen both for:

DaVinci_Resolve_Studio_19.0b3_Linux.run
DaVinci_Resolve_Studio_18.6.6_Linux.run

Issue 1: (solved, but I shouldn't have to do this.)

Problem: I think this is a problem for majority of the Linux distributions, and that is Resolve not booting up when the installation has finished. The prerequisites and libraries have been installed. CUDA is installed and up-to-date, same with the graphics drivers of course.

Solution:

Right click on the DaVinci Resolve shortcut that was created on the desktop,

Select "Open With > Text Editor" or similar program

Where you see Exec=/opt/resolve/bin/resolve $u, add 'sudo' before /opt/ and after = leaving space (Like a command)

Then where you see Terminal=false, change that to true

Save and exit, launch using the icon, input your user password into the terminal

Don't close the terminal while DaVinci Resolve is in use.

Issue 2: (not solved)

DaVinci Resolve does not support Wayland even in version 19 beta. In Linux Mint, I do have "fractional scaling" enabled which it says is an experimental feature, but it saves my eyes from having to look at a small 100% scale or a big 200% scale. With this feature on, I have the ability to set my display scale at 125% on a 4K monitor.

Other Applications like Discord, OBS, VSCode, etc. show the GUI completely fine because they have Wayland support. With Resolve, the buttons are tiny and the whole GUI behaves as if it's on a 6K display (which it is, if you think about the experimental feature changing the virtual resolution of the display.)

Even if I switch the "fraction scaling" feature off, the GUI still looks so small and I have to squint my eyes.

Thank you for your time.

I would also like to support this suggestion, because the current path has not worked for me so far. There are good reasons why Flatpak is now number one.

I've tested several distributions over the last few weeks that are supposed to cover the basics, as well as gaming and video editing. Also wanted to try out new concepts with Fedora Silverblue and Vanilla OS2. I also tried Ubuntu, Fedora, Linux Mint, Manjaro would not work with TPM oor UEFI, but basically I would like something GNOME based.

But: Davinci Resolve didn't just run in any of those distribution. At least I was able to open it in Fedora after installing some dependencies, but then there was a problem with the iGPU. Then I think I had to install FUSE and some dependencies in Ubuntu, but after a restart the graphical interface disappeared. Terminal only. I can't say exactly what was to blame.

And the funny thing is: I know Linux systems (at least a litte).

I know there are other systems recommended, like Rocky Linux, but I just don't understand the point of offering a program that hardly anyone can use without fiddling around OR can only use one or two distributions. And I think Flatpak could solve some of these problems.

In addition, the numbers on Linux would continue to rise if more was supported. Personally, I don't necessarily want to switch to an "old" system just because it is stable and supported by a program. Rocky Linux ships with Kernel 5.14 and GNOME 40 from 2021. Stable, yes. Widespread? Current? Or just aimed at professionals?

AppImage is already the loser, FUSE 2 is outdated and will no longer be maintained. X11 is dying and the typical user does not want to have to switch to "Enterprise Linux".

Flatpak:

· Integrate better in many Linux distros
· Include all dependencies
· Are more secure by isolate the application from the rest of the system
· Run in a consistent Environment across different distributions
· Are easier to distribute
· Supports automatic updates via own servers
· Have a large user base and knowledge with active development

That's my opinion on the subject,
Thanks!

Similar thread here : viewtopic.php?f=33&t=186259

I also am for publishing a flatpak. I know people should be grateful to blackmagic for offering a program like da vinci resolve for free but a large amount of Linux users don't use it due to how much of a struggle it is to get functioning. I've personally spend several weeks just getting it running and situated only to find out that i cant use my content due to lack of codexes. There are workarounds luckily but the point is, its far from easy to use da vinci on linux

viewtopic.php?f=33&t=186259&hilit=linux&start=50#p1073684

From Peter Chamberlain :

...one of my colleagues has previously mentioned on the forum in relation to Flatpak

"Flatpak and Snap packaging is OK for simple applications. However, there are technical limitations that get in the way of something as complex as Resolve or Fusion. For example the sandboxing models are problematic when you consider hardware support or remote workflows."

there are technical limitations that get in the way

Flatpak is a nice idea, but if you want hardware-accelerated graphics and GPU math, forget it.

We still need a Debian installer. Could we please, please, get a proper .deb file?
Thanks.

there are technical limitations that get in the way

Flatpak is a nice idea, but if you want hardware-accelerated graphics and GPU math, forget it.

That's just complete FUD and I don't know where you got that from. Hardware acceleration is available for Flatpak. Just take a look at the OBS flatpak, VLC mediaplayer flatpak, Steam flatpak, or the hardware acceleration option in flatseal. You can literally just add the hardware drivers like Mesa or Vaapi into the flatpak and set the correct permission.

Pllllease. THIS.
I've been a professional user of Resolve for years and have just recently switched to Linux. Now, I've literally just switched to Lightworks because it just... works. It's worth the added hassle to dipping into Audacity and Blender to not have to dig through a convoluted mess just to get DaVinci to even install.

A flatpack and .deb release is so very much needed.

After DVR wouldn't work anymore with the latest Ubuntu flavours I now set up a Rocky system, and it really was a rocky experience. If you release your own branded OS I'd expect it to work out of the box, but it doesn't, so it's still a lot of hassle to get it running somehow (with some error messages to ignore along the way while getting the OS to a point where it actually starts DVR Studio). And even now that it does work I'm seeing drops in playback performance way earlier than before on Ubuntu which is extra frustrating. So the current situation in Linux is frankly a show stopper for me.

We really really need this. There's even an unofficial flatpak pkg that just works on most systems (unlike that .run file) but the author can't distribute it https://github.com/pobthebuilder/resolv ... /issues/47 which sucks.

Similiar posts:
viewtopic.php?f=21&t=213500&p=1107377&hilit=flatpak#p1107377
viewtopic.php?f=33&t=186259

It installs as a charm on Ubuntu 22.04 right from the *run file. I just put it with mouse in terminal window, firstly it asked me to install some libraries and after I did it and tried again it installed without any problems, runs smoothly and even faster than on win10 previously on the same machine. Version 22.04 is supported until April of 2027, it means that any of other applications you are using will be supported on that distro until the same year, so if you have a problems with Resolve installation on other newer Linux distributions maybe try this one.

I registered (to this forum) to make this comment. I suggest the creation of a Flatpak and an OCI container image (for platforms like Docker and Podman). Releasing for these two alone would cover a ton of ground imo. If developed/tested properly, they would be prime examples of "build once, run everywhere" in the Linux ecosystem. No more being tied down to a specific distro in many cases.

I think the Flatpak idea would solve my issues as well, plus it makes it more "distro agnostic" which is what we as Linux users need. I am in full agreement with this idea, though in my current posting on the problem I am facing on OpenSUSE Tumbleweed with graphics drivers and Wayland being the window server, this could be solved in that manner. Furthermore, I had suggested RPM, but Flatpak would make a better choice in my opinion, plus the libraries issues and headaches the average Linux user sees would be solved.

I hope that BMD takes this request seriously as I am a registered Studio user and I have no problem paying for it, but I can't currently use it without going to a different Linux distro, which is a major headache for me.

Thanks for listening, Black Magic Developers!

If packaging as a Flatpak will actually work as per some comments, I do think this would be really awesome.

I will say though that my install is working right now on Fedora with KDE and - surprise - Wayland. The only thing I had to do was delete some of the libraries as mentioned here on the forums so Resolve will then find the system ones. Plus on Fedora I didn't need to make a .deb installer.