As I understand it there will be a migration, but that might not be done yet. Same applies for the others going snap->deb.
@Wimpress and @popey Thank you for the response. I was actually referring to this part of the response from @kenvandine
For flatpak you just need to install gnome-software-plugin-flatpak like you do today. That would bring in the gnome-software as a deb, which will still be maintained.
So what I’m asking is will I be able to install Flatpak apps (by installing gnome-software-plugin-flatpak) from the GNOME Software snap that will be in Ubuntu 20.04+?
To be clear, there will still be a deb package of gnome-software in the archive that can be installed. It will be installed as a dependency if you install gnome-software-plugin-flatpak. If you choose to do that, you will have two versions of gnome-software installed, but that is not the out of box experience. I think advanced users that choose to do that will understand why there are two versions.
The deb version of gnome-software will no longer be called “Ubuntu Software”, we will remove that branding. This should prevent confusion.
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Thank you for the clarification @kenvandine.
- Would uninstalling Ubuntu Software snap be possible without affecting the Ubuntu Desktop?
- Can the GNOME Software deb version still install snaps via gnome-software-plugin-snap?
I ask because I’d like to be able to install deb, snap and flatpak packages all from one app and GNOME Software on Ubuntu 18.04 through 19.10 allows that.
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@kenvandine - Can the GNOME Software deb version, if installed, still be able to install snaps via gnome-software-plugin-snap in 20.04 LTS?
Yes, if you have gnome-software-plugin-snap installed
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Great! Thanks.
But it does make me wonder, what’s the advantage of the snap Software Center then? Seems like the deb version can do all the things the Snap version can and more.
This really wasn’t mentioned at all in the OMGUbuntu article, but snap packages are automatically updated which is great for a release like the LTS that will be around for many years. And installed Snap packages normally checks for updates several times a day and then installs it automatically.
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As @madsrh says, it allows the team to iterate fast, deliver new features and fixes faster than revving the deb in the archive.
A secondary benefit, is that users of older releases such as 18.04 and 16.04 can install it, and get all the benefits of the new releases.
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Can I turn off the automatic updates? I have a limited connection and I really hate it when snap does this. I’d also like to install updates when I want to so this is very important for me.
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I made a video about this very subject just a couple of days ago. It covers delaying / deferring updates, and even configuring putting updates on hold when you’re on a limited connection. Should answer all your questions. if not, feel free to come back and ask.
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Would those ‘default’ snap apps still be available in the repos as debs, or are you taking them off the repos?
I love that feature, for example I use Firefox beta snap, I don’t have do anything to it as it gets updated in the background for me and I will have the latest beta on my system. Very handy.
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Would these be accessible via the new Snap Ubuntu Software store?
This one raised new questions for me (perhaps this is off-topic, could move this post to the snapcraft forum?)
- How does one know if a snapshot is ‘restored’ or not? Does there need to be a new column under
snap savedheaded ‘Status’ and with values ‘archived’ and ‘restored’? - I’m assuming the hold on metered connection still only holds updates for two months (or some other limited time) before using the metered connection anyway? Allowing it to hold indefinitely is handy from a user perspective but does allow people to basically turn off automatic refreshes (by telling NetworkManager that the connection is metred and telling snappy to hold off on metered), I assume also that it’s still the case that a refresh will happen outside of schedule if the system is off or the update is held too many times in the specified schedule. Is this also the case for inhibiting a refresh when an app is running? Will snapd eventually refresh the snap anyway if one had that application open for months? Additionally, it would nice to have all these options in Software & Updates.
Also
That source dropdown in the top-right, is Ubuntu Software finally grouping the same app in different formats (Deb, snap, Flatpak (the latter when the plugin is installed)) on the same page?! 
Switching off updates completely is not something that’s currently on the roadmap. However there are ways to work around it. If you snap revert (snapname) it will go back to the previous release, and won’t be updated. In addition, if you snap download (snapname) and snap install (snapname) --dangerous you’re opting out of updates for that snap too. If you’re creative, yes, there are ways to avoid auto updates.
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So far in my test yes, it seems like Apps are being grouped into, where you an choose Snap or Ubuntu repos. Not sure about Flatpak, I should try it out.
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@popey I’m sorry but honestly this deferring thing sounds too much like Windows 10. I want no auto updates, period. Even Android and iOS allow that via a simple settings toggle, why can’t snap?