Suggestion: Provide VirtualBox as a Snap Package for Easier Installation and Updates

[songyuc]

Hello VirtualBox Community,
I am an avid user of VirtualBox and have found it to be an invaluable tool for my work and personal projects. I would like to suggest that the VirtualBox team considers providing VirtualBox as a Snap package.
Why Snap?
Ease of Installation: Snap packages offer a streamlined installation process. Users can install VirtualBox with a single command without worrying about dependencies or compatibility issues.
Automatic Updates: Snaps are designed to be updated seamlessly. This would ensure that VirtualBox users always have the latest version with the latest features and security patches.
Cross-Distribution Support: Snap packages work across various Linux distributions. This would make VirtualBox more accessible to a wider range of users, including those who might be using less common distributions.
Isolation: Snaps run in a sandboxed environment, which can enhance security and stability by isolating the application from the rest of the system.
Benefits for Users and Developers:
Users would benefit from a more straightforward and consistent installation experience.
Developers could potentially reach a larger audience and focus on improving VirtualBox rather than dealing with the intricacies of packaging for multiple distributions.

Conclusion:
I believe that offering VirtualBox as a Snap package would be a significant improvement to the current installation options. It would make VirtualBox more user-friendly and could potentially increase its adoption rate among Linux users.
Thank you for considering this suggestion. I look forward to hearing the community's thoughts on this matter and would be happy to provide any additional information or assistance if needed.

Best regards,
Yucheng Song

[javispedro]

VirtualBox requires a kernel module so it is impossible to package as snap or flatpak or whatever.

The KVM-based fork can in theory work w/o a kernel module at a minimal performance cost . You may be interested in building a snap for it : https://github.com/cyberus-technology/virtualbox-kvm