[Bug 1718453] Re: apt does not download dep11 files for foreign architectures and appstream cannot find applications for these archs.

[Matthias Klumpp]

At this point, I think it's safe to say that implementing full multiarch support for AppStream simply isn't going to happen, at least not anytime soon. It's simply easier for app authors to provide native implementations for amd64 instead of relying on i386 compatibility.
If support was implemented fully, we would download lots of additional big metadata and run into all kinds of troubles of which app gets selected when there are ID conflicts.
Resolving all of these issues is possible, but the huge effort IMHO doesn't justify the gains. If someone else works on this, I'd assist the work, but I will unlikely work on this myself. I originally intended to, but TBH, this issue has really low priority nowadays.

There is a workaround for high-profile packages that are only available
on one architecture: *If* i386 support is enabled by default, the
appstream-generator can be instructed to inject metadata for a specific
package directly into the final metadata collection. See
https://github.com/ximion/appstream-generator/blob/master/docs/asgen-
config.md#injecting-extra-metainfo--removing-components for details.
This is intended to be used for adding web applications, but may work
for the multiarch case as well, at least for a select few of high-
profile application packages.

-- 
You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu
Foundations Bugs, which is subscribed to apt in Ubuntu.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1718453

Title:
  apt does not download dep11 files for foreign architectures and
  appstream cannot find applications for these archs.

Status in appstream package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed
Status in apt package in Ubuntu:
  Invalid

Bug description:
  I noticed the following community member had a problem installing
  steam. I reproduced it on 16.04.3 clean install i386 and amd64.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24NH3Ry22Dg

  Install 16.04 amd64 or i386
  Install all updates via software updater
  Open Ubuntu Software
  Search for steam.

  No results for Steam found.
  Yet steam is in the repository as an i386 deb - but it doesn't show up in Ubuntu Software on either amd64 or i386 installs.

  
  Also discussed at https://ubuntu.labix.org/t/ubuntu-software-deb-install-issues/81

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.04
  Package: gnome-software 3.20.5-0ubuntu0.16.04.5
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.10.0-35.39~16.04.1-generic 4.10.17
  Uname: Linux 4.10.0-35-generic i686
  ApportVersion: 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.10
  Architecture: i386
  CurrentDesktop: Unity
  Date: Wed Sep 20 15:46:02 2017
  InstallationDate: Installed on 2017-09-20 (0 days ago)
  InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 16.04.3 LTS "Xenial Xerus" - Release i386 (20170801)
  SourcePackage: gnome-software
  UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

To manage notifications about this bug go to:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/appstream/+bug/1718453/+subscriptions