14 DAY TRIAL // One of Canonical's goals is to build an Ubuntu Desktop by using Snappy packages, and that is actually a difficult task. Developers need to build all the regular packages by using the Snappy, and that can take a while. From the looks of it, the first steps have been taken, although it's not something that regular users will be ready to test just yet.
The Snappy packages, formerly known as Click packages, are a new approach to package management that allows for transactional updates, and they also provide better security. Basically, operating systems that use Snappy packages are easier and safer to upgrade, not to mention the fact that they eliminate the nasty problem of dependencies.
On the other hand, it's one thing to package a third-party app like a snappy package, with a few dependencies, and it's an totally different ball game to do the same with the core packages in an operating system. To be fair, Canonical is already doing this with its IoT-aimed operating system Ubuntu Snapp Core, but it's a little bit more difficult to do the same thing for the desktop, which is more complex and with more moving parts.
Snappy packages are not going to be mainstream too soon
Ubuntu Touch is already using this kind of packaging, and Canonical is trying to port Unity 8 to the desktop, not to mention the fact that the company is also working towards converging the desktop and the phone. We already know that Canonical plans to have both a .DEB and .Snappy version in place for the foreseeable future, so the fact that developers have finally managed to get the ball rolling shouldn't be all that surprising.
Ubuntu developer Oliver Grawert has posted the first screenshot from an Ubuntu desktop build that works entirely with Snappy packages. It has the Unity 8 desktop, as expected, and a proper Ubuntu image will probably land in the coming months.