[gentoo-user] How to crack open an *.AppImage Was: [OT] AppImage? What's that?

[tuxic@posteo.de]

On 11/05 04:04, tuxic@posteo.de wrote:
> On 11/05 04:46, Alan McKinnon wrote:
> > On 05/11/2017 15:48, tuxic@posteo.de wrote:
> > > On 11/05 07:21, Tom H wrote:
> > >> On Sun, Nov 5, 2017 at 7:11 AM, <tuxic@posteo.de> wrote:
> > >>> On 11/05 06:29, Tom H wrote:
> > >>>> On Sun, Nov 5, 2017 at 6:20 AM, <tuxic@posteo.de> wrote:
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> I got an archive (???) of an Linux application, which
> > >>>>> has the extension "*.AppImage".
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> What is that?
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> Is it possible to "unpack" that into something more common?
> > >>>>> How to handle that?
> > >>>>
> > >>>> Does it use this spec?
> > >>>>
> > >>>> https://appimage.org/
> > >>>
> > >>> Dont know...
> > >>> How can I unpack that to look into it?
> > >>
> > >> From
> > >> https://github.com/AppImage/AppImageKit
> > >>
> > >> wget "https://github.com/AppImage/AppImageKit/releases/download/continuous/appimagetool-x86_64.AppImage"
> > >> etc...
> > >>
> > > 
> > > 
> > > ./appimagetool-x86_64.AppImage appimagetool-x86_64.AppImage TestApp/.
> > > WARNING: appstreamcli is missing, please install it if you want to use AppStream metadata
> > > appimagetool-x86_64.AppImage is a file, assuming it is an AppImage and should be unpacked
> > > To be implemented
> > > 
> > > unpacking is not implemented yet.
> > 
> > 
> > Reading only this thread, it looks like an upstream used a horribly
> > incomplete scheme for distribution that isn't even ready for launch.
> > 
> > And yet they distribute using it.
> > 
> > I would be questioning why I'm using that upstream's project at all, and
> > find something better by an author with more clue.
> > 
> > Am I missing something?
> > 
> > 
> > -- 
> > Alan McKinnon
> > alan.mckinnon@gmail.com
> > 
> > 
> 
> As so often, the persons 'up' in the hierarch decide things the people
> 'down' the hierarchy would keep their fingers off - but they will not
> be asked.
> 
> I am 'down' the hierarchy and want to unpack that
> archive/image/whatever.
> 
> Currently I am recompiling my kernel to support squashfs as it seems
> that this image is one of that images.
> If so, mounting it as an image and copying the files out of the
> mountpoints directory may work.
> 
> Fingers crossed...
> 
> Cheers
> Meino
> 
> 

OK, I have found a way -- for all hesitating with this
closed-opensource AppImage-blobs:

chmod file.AppImage
./file.AppImage # wait ...
mount # find mount point of this sealed bag,,,mine was /tmp/.mount-someting
cp -a /tmp/.mount-something ~/somesaveplace
<quit the application started by file.AppImage here>

That's it.
Happy tinkering!

Cheers
Meino