The Linux build of the FreeDV app is distributed as an AppImage built on Intel Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

AppImage provides a portable, containerized format designed to run on most 64-bit Linux distributions without installation. By bundling dependencies, they ensure high compatibility across different Linux versions, generally working on any system with a libc version equal to or higher than the one used to create the app. 

Core Compatibility & Requirements

• System Requirements: Runs on most 64-bit Linux desktops, including Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, and more.
• Executable Permission: The file must be made executable (chmod +x) before running.
• FUSE Dependency: Older systems (and some modern ones) need libfuse2 installed to run AppImages.
• Kernel Compatibility: AppImages are generally compatible with updated kernels but may fall out of compatibility with very old systems after significant updates.

Tips for Best Performance

• On recent distributions you may need to run sudo apt install libfuse2 to run AppImages, as these systems often use FUSE 3 by default.
• Error Handling: If an AppImage fails, check if the system requires libfuse2.
• Running the File: Use ./filename.AppImage in the terminal to launch, or right-click to set permissions to execute

Support

There is a wide variety of Linux distributions and it is difficult to support more than a few. If the FreeDV AppImage doesn’t work on your version and you have some terminal skills the next thing to try is Barry Jackson’s build script.