ORB: Next-generation Linux applications

Orbital Apps brings us a new package type ORB with portable software, interactive Installation Wizard support, and the ability to use offline.

Portable software is handy. This is mainly because they can be run directly without any administrator privileges, and can be stored with the USB stick with all the settings and data. The Interactive Installation Wizard also allows us to easily install applications.

OPEN RUNNABLE BUNDLE (ORB)

The ORB is a free and open source package format that differs in many ways from other package formats. Some features of the ORB:

• Compression: All packages are SQUASHFS compressed to reduce the volume by up to 60%.
• Portable mode: If a portable ORB app is running on a removable device, it will store all settings and data on top of it.
• Security: All ORB packages are distributed using Pgp/rsa signatures, via TLS 1.2.
• Offline: All dependencies are packaged into packages, so download dependencies are no longer required.
• Open Packages: ORB packages can be mounted as ISO images.

type

There are two categories of ORB apps:

• Portable software
• Superdeb

1. Portable ORB Software

The portable ORB software is ready to run without any prior installation. This means that it does not require administrator privileges and is not dependent! You can download it directly from the Orbital Apps website and use it.

And because it supports portable mode, you can copy it to a USB stick to carry it. All of its settings and data will be stored on the USB stick along with it. Just connect the USB stick to any machine running Ubuntu 16.04.

Portable Software available

More than 35 software is available in the form of a portable package, including some very popular software such as Deluge,firefox,gimp,libreoffice,uget and VLC.

using portable software

Follow these steps to use the Portable ORB software:

• Download the desired package from the Orbital Apps website.
• Move it to the desired location (local Disk/U drive).
• Open the directory where the ORB package is stored.

Open the properties of the Orb package and add run permissions to the Orb package.

Add run permissions on the Permissions tab.
Double-click to open it.

Wait a few seconds for it to be ready to run. Done.

2. Superdeb

Another type of ORB software is superdeb. Superdeb is simple, and the Interactive Installation Wizard can make the software installation process much smoother. If you don't like installing software from a terminal or software center, Superdeb is your dish.

The most interesting part is that you do not need an Internet connection when you install it, because all dependencies are packaged by the installation wizard.

available Superdeb

More than 60 software is available in superdeb format. Some of the popular ones are: Chromium,deluge,firefox,gimp,libreoffice,uget and VLC.

using the SUPERDEB Setup Wizard

• Download the required superdeb from the Orbital Apps website.
• Add the Run permission (Properties > Permissions) to it as before.
• Double-click the Superdeb Setup Wizard and follow these instructions:

• Once the installation is complete, you can use it normally.

ORB Software Compatibility

From Orbital Apps, they're perfectly suited to Ubuntu 16.04 [64-bit].

For other distributions, compatibility is not guaranteed. But we can say that it applies to all Ubuntu 16.04 Derivative editions (Ubuntumate,ubuntugnome,lubuntu,xubuntu, etc.) as well as the Ubuntu 16.04-based release (such as the upcoming Linux Mint 18). It is unclear whether Orbital Apps has plans to expand its support to other versions of Ubuntu or Linux distributions.

If you frequently use the portable Orb software on your system, you may consider installing the Orb launcher. It is not required, but it is recommended to install it for a better experience. The shortest ORB launcher installation process is to open the terminal and enter the following command:

Wget-o-https://www.orbital-apps.com/orb.sh | Bash

What if the software I need is not in the list?

If you need a software that currently does not have an ORB package available, you can contact Orbital Apps. The good news is that Orbital Apps is working to launch a tool to create an ORB package. So, soon after we have hope to make our own ORB bag!

To say more, this article is about offline installation software. If you are interested, you can see how to update or upgrade Ubuntu offline.

So, what do you think of the portable software and Superdeb Installation wizard for Orbital Apps? Would you try it?

ORB: Next-generation Linux applications