Linux has issues when it comes to distributing software. Centralized repositories existed long before the App Store, but they aren't meant for indie developers sharing their app.

Omnipackage sits on top of existing infrastructure to build RPM, DEB, and Arch (more to come) packages and host them on your S3 or local filesystem. It's one config alongside the RPM spec and other templates that live in your project's repo, and it can run a build-sign-publish pipeline locally or on GitHub Actions.

You share with users a link to a generated HTML page with instructions on how to add the repository and install your app (example: https://repositories.omnipackage.org/omnipackage-rs/stable/i...), or just share the install instructions directly. Once hooked into the package manager, your app becomes apt-installable and updatable as if it were in the official repos. S3 isn't required - a local filesystem works as a repo too, handy if you want to package some app just for yourself or share it through other channels.

Think fpm and OpenBuildService had a baby. There's an "init" command that guesses how to build your project and generates the necessary files that you need to change slightly. There's also a Claude skill that does very well on most projects I've tried packaging. More rationale: https://omnipackage.org/about