Installing full fledged linux packages on OSMC

Help and Support
1

Hi,
I saw i could install packages with apt in the wiki, since osmc is debian based, but i was wondering if they can be any type of package available, ie can it be a package with a GUI? Like the linux plex app for example
If so, how do i access and run the packages? Can they integrate straight into kodi?

2

That would need X11 and won’t integrate in to Kodi.

You would be better off using a Plex add-on instead.

3

How would it be possible to launch and use them? Would it be similar to how you can open android apps on kodi android?

4

I might have missunderstood your question, but I’ll answer the parts I feel I got something to add to…

  1. Can you install any .deb?
    Any packaged in Debians armhf repository, yes you can install it. But…

  2. Can it be a package with GUI?
    Yes you can install most of them, I have made a “X-windows addon” for OSMC, but there are
    drawbacks, like no hardware acceleration.

  3. Automatic integration into Kodi?
    Here I feel less comfortable comfortable to answer, but in most cases the answer is “No”. Any OSMC
    package has been optimized for Kodi, or the specifics of the os. But in general, any Debian package,
    won’t automatically integrate with Kodi, without some manual labor…

Edit: Ops, Sam answered, Well I’ll leave my answer anyway.

5

And which plex addon would you recommend? I tried the official plex one but it’s a bit dated
I tried plex kodi connent but that requires creating a local DB of all your plex library, only works with one server and messes with local contant
And composite is the last one i found that works relatively well, has its hiccups tho and doesnt always play, i also wasnt able to add content from it to the library to have the shows and stuff appear as tiles

6

Thanks for the response
Regarding points 2 and 3, is there a different way to use them, with hardware acceleration?
Is integrating into kodi the only way to run them?

7

OSMC, is by definition a “mediacenter”-OS. Ergo: It isn’r supposed to have a desktop, or a lot of apps running on a desktop.

As I said, I made a “X-windows addon” for OSMC, but it works by installing a bunch of Debian packages and then add a script that is starting in the background. That script shuts down Kodi and starts X-windows, lays dormant until you close X-windows then it restarts Kodi and shuts it self down. So there is no actual communication between X-windows <–> Kodi, Like you cant start Chrome with a specific URL from Kodi, like you could in a desktop OS that has Kodi running inside the desktop.

In short in order to have access to Debian softwares, you have to write some kind of addon that will start the software, handle what will happen with Kodi during runtime and how Kodi will know that the software is running/displaying any output etc.

This get’s a bit “theoretical” since it’s mostly to much work, when you can chose an Android solution or in case of Raspberry Pi, another OS.

8

I see, thanks!

And is it possible to use new osmc versions with kodi leia? For addon support, I didnt see something about it in the wiki, but i may have missed something

9

An example is Sam’s transmission osmc package, it’s a “edited” deb package for transmission. But it doesn’t need any integration into Kodi. And since it’s a rather know app that has a remote admin interface, there are already addons made for Kodi to control Transmission. But Sam has , thankfully, opted to let user install any addon by them self and force as little as posible on users.

10

In theory yes, it is possible. Practically no, there will be no official support, you will have to manually alter so many package dependencies, that you will likely crash more the 10 attempts to manage such a system and having to start over. But possible, the knowledge needed is above my pay-grade.

11

I see, and should flashing it with an older version that is just natively leia be possuble?
I’m just looking into getting a vero 4k+ and trying to see if i can get it to work for my needs
And assuming I flash it to leia on a supported version, how big are performance differences and overall stability?

12

I don’t know how much you know about Kodi inner workings: There are diffrent types of addons, but most are Python based programs or scripts. And going back to your previous question, older kodi is based on Python 2.x, while since v.19 Python 3.x. So alot of the addons from Leia wont work wiitout conversion.

So when I say “make an addon”, what I mean, create a script that can start and stop, perhaps even interact with a “deb”. When it’s done correctly, I bet there is a possibility to add it to the OSMC-appstore, which right now is small due to the “learning curve” to make an “App”. My X-windows addon was on it’s way to become one app, but due to diffrent graphics drivers for diffrent hardware (Diffrent Vero versions and Pi) it became a to big hurdle for a “function I used, less and less regularly”.

So in short, OSMC is open for you to do what you want with, but as with many things in Linux world, you have to put in a rather large portion of effort to get where you want to. Where a lot is researching has anyone else done this before, can I borrow/understand what is needed.

14

There is a lot of users opting to use an older version, often due to addons that has lost support of the developer or other dependencies that can’t be filled with a newer version. Speed and stability isn’t real issue, since it has been a stable version of OSMC earlier=) What might be an issue is “security”, like old addons/debs sometimes don’t get security fixes for older versions of kodi/debian(not as usual but happens).

And haveing an older version of OSMC, might negate such services like Netflix, which never have or will have official support for Kodi. Since it’s a a third party service, it’s prone to a lot of updates, which will eventually require newer versions of packages/addons.

So however you do it, you will get pros and cons with any solution.

15

Thanks!

Stuff like netflix isnt an issue for me, i only really use plex, and having a good experience on that is my priority

I’ll look into it and look at some final tjings before hopefully placing the order

Thanks for all the help!

16
17

The issues with PKC is that you can’t use local content with it, and it is limited to one server, and the manual sync takes a while

I might resign to using the plex for kodi app, and hope it gets a UI upgrade sometime

And composite seems to be kinda working, need to check it out some more and play around with it a bit

18

That doesn’t sound right. Have you actually tried to add a local source location to a PKC based setup?

Why would you try connecting to more than one server instead of sharing multiple servers into one account so everything is in one library?

I wouldn’t get your hopes up on Plex giving too much attention to the Plex add-on. They seem to be resigned to mostly focusing on the Android and iOS apps unfortunately.

19

I haven’t tried, but thats what the PKC repo said

Were a bunch of friends, each with their own server

Yeah probably not, might look into writing my own kodi plex addom tho, similar to Composite