Can You Run an AppImage on An Old Linux OS

AppImage is by definition, the true portable application format in Linux. You don't have to install any runtime, dependency, etc. All you need to do is download the package, make it executable, and you will have a portable, functional application you can use on you Linux OS.

You might don't know, AppImage has had long history as a portable app format in Linux. It started from 2004 named klik, then renamed to PortableLinuxApps and later, until now, renamed again as AppImage.

Unlike the predecessor, AppImage now gets a fair amount of attentions from Linux users. Some even said that Linus Torvalds himself think that AppImage isn't a bad idea. The point is, if we are talking a app format that works just like how EXE works in Windows, AppImage is the answer.

Running AppImage on an Old Linux OS

I have a bunch of Linux isos, from older to the newest version. The main reason I don't remove them is each Linux version has its own memories.

So I try to install an old Ubuntu version on my Virtualbox and try an AppImage on it. Will it run?

Unfortunately, I can't install a very old Linux distro on my machine. The oldest Linux version I've successfully install is Ubuntu 12.04 (Precise) on an AMD Ryzen laptop.

Testing AppImages

Not suprised, the AppImage format just works on Ubuntu 12.04 without any issue. Technically it is just a kind of archive, with a self launcher inside. But not all AppImage would work on older Linux.

Only apps that built on older and or same version with the host would work. As an example, I have built the XMMS as AppImage and it works without problem on Ubuntu 12.04.

On the other side, I can't run a GIMP AppImage that built on newer Ubuntu system. The problem is simple: there are unmet dependencies available on the host system, because they are too old.

Is AppImage Legit?

It is indeed a great approach to distribute Linux apps cross Linux distributions. You can run the AppImages you have on any Linux distro without too much hassle. But it would not work on older Linux system because of the older dependency installed on the host.

XMMS AppImage works on Ubuntu 12.04

GIMP 2.10.25 AppImage failed to run on Ubuntu 12.04

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