Qubes OS updates Weekly Review - Y2024-W20

General Discussion
1

Introduction

This is the 3rd instalment of my weekly review of new packages uploaded to Qubes OS repositories. Notes on how it is prepared and what resources are used to prepare this newsletter is available in previous version.

Alphabetically sorted list of new packages for Y2024-W20 
i3_4.23-1+deb11u1_amd64.deb
i3_4.23-1+deb12u1_amd64.deb
i3_4.23-1+deb13u1_amd64.deb
i3-4.23-1.fc32.x86_64.rpm
i3-4.23-1.fc37.x86_64.rpm
i3-4.23-1.fc38.x86_64.rpm
i3-4.23-1.fc39.x86_64.rpm
i3-4.23-1.fc40.x86_64.rpm
i3_4.23-1+jammy1_amd64.deb
i3-devel-4.23-1.fc32.x86_64.rpm
i3-devel-4.23-1.fc37.x86_64.rpm
i3-devel-4.23-1.fc38.x86_64.rpm
i3-devel-4.23-1.fc39.x86_64.rpm
i3-devel-4.23-1.fc40.x86_64.rpm
i3-devel-doc-4.23-1.fc32.noarch.rpm
i3-devel-doc-4.23-1.fc37.noarch.rpm
i3-devel-doc-4.23-1.fc38.noarch.rpm
i3-devel-doc-4.23-1.fc39.noarch.rpm
i3-devel-doc-4.23-1.fc40.noarch.rpm
i3-doc-4.23-1.fc32.noarch.rpm
i3-doc-4.23-1.fc37.noarch.rpm
i3-doc-4.23-1.fc38.noarch.rpm
i3-doc-4.23-1.fc39.noarch.rpm
i3-doc-4.23-1.fc40.noarch.rpm
i3-wm_4.23-1+deb11u1_amd64.deb
i3-wm_4.23-1+deb12u1_amd64.deb
i3-wm_4.23-1+deb13u1_amd64.deb
i3-wm_4.23-1+jammy1_amd64.deb
i3-wm-dbg_4.23-1+deb11u1_amd64.deb
i3-wm-dbg_4.23-1+deb12u1_amd64.deb
i3-wm-dbg_4.23-1+deb13u1_amd64.deb
i3-wm-dbg_4.23-1+jammy1_amd64.deb
microcode_ctl-2.1.20240514-58.qubes1.fc32.x86_64.rpm
microcode_ctl-2.1.20240514-58.qubes1.fc37.x86_64.rpm
python3-qubesadmin-4.1.31-1.el8.noarch.rpm
python3-qubesadmin_4.2.13-1+deb12u1_amd64.deb
python3-qubesadmin_4.2.13-1+deb13u1_amd64.deb
python3-qubesadmin-4.2.13-1.fc37.noarch.rpm
python3-qubesadmin-4.2.13-1.fc38.noarch.rpm
python3-qubesadmin-4.2.13-1.fc39.noarch.rpm
python3-qubesadmin-4.2.13-1.fc40.noarch.rpm
python3-qubesadmin_4.2.13-1+jammy1_amd64.deb
python3-qui_4.2.22-1+deb12u1_amd64.deb
python3-qui_4.2.22-1+deb13u1_amd64.deb
python3-qui_4.2.22-1+jammy1_amd64.deb
python3-qui_4.2.23-1+deb12u1_amd64.deb
python3-qui_4.2.23-1+deb13u1_amd64.deb
python3-qui_4.2.23-1+jammy1_amd64.deb
qubes-core-admin-client-4.1.31-1.el8.noarch.rpm
qubes-core-admin-client_4.2.13-1+deb12u1_amd64.deb
qubes-core-admin-client_4.2.13-1+deb13u1_amd64.deb
qubes-core-admin-client-4.2.13-1.fc37.noarch.rpm
qubes-core-admin-client-4.2.13-1.fc38.noarch.rpm
qubes-core-admin-client-4.2.13-1.fc39.noarch.rpm
qubes-core-admin-client-4.2.13-1.fc40.noarch.rpm
qubes-core-admin-client_4.2.13-1+jammy1_amd64.deb
qubes-core-dom0-4.2.27-1.fc37.noarch.rpm
qubes-core-dom0-4.2.28-1.fc37.noarch.rpm
qubes-desktop-linux-common_4.2.7-1+jammy1_amd64.deb
qubes-desktop-linux-common_4.2.8-1+deb12u1_amd64.deb
qubes-desktop-linux-common_4.2.8-1+deb13u1_amd64.deb
qubes-desktop-linux-common-4.2.8-1.fc37.noarch.rpm
qubes-desktop-linux-common-4.2.8-1.fc38.noarch.rpm
qubes-desktop-linux-common-4.2.8-1.fc39.noarch.rpm
qubes-desktop-linux-common-4.2.8-1.fc40.noarch.rpm
qubes-desktop-linux-common_4.2.8-1+jammy1_amd64.deb
qubes-desktop-linux-common_4.2.9-1+deb12u1_amd64.deb
qubes-desktop-linux-common_4.2.9-1+deb13u1_amd64.deb
qubes-desktop-linux-common-4.2.9-1.fc37.noarch.rpm
qubes-desktop-linux-common-4.2.9-1.fc38.noarch.rpm
qubes-desktop-linux-common-4.2.9-1.fc39.noarch.rpm
qubes-desktop-linux-common-4.2.9-1.fc40.noarch.rpm
qubes-desktop-linux-common_4.2.9-1+jammy1_amd64.deb
qubes-desktop-linux-manager_4.2.22-1+deb12u1_amd64.deb
qubes-desktop-linux-manager_4.2.22-1+deb13u1_amd64.deb
qubes-desktop-linux-manager-4.2.22-1.fc37.noarch.rpm
qubes-desktop-linux-manager-4.2.22-1.fc38.noarch.rpm
qubes-desktop-linux-manager-4.2.22-1.fc39.noarch.rpm
qubes-desktop-linux-manager-4.2.22-1.fc40.noarch.rpm
qubes-desktop-linux-manager_4.2.22-1+jammy1_amd64.deb
qubes-desktop-linux-manager_4.2.23-1+deb12u1_amd64.deb
qubes-desktop-linux-manager_4.2.23-1+deb13u1_amd64.deb
qubes-desktop-linux-manager-4.2.23-1.fc37.noarch.rpm
qubes-desktop-linux-manager-4.2.23-1.fc38.noarch.rpm
qubes-desktop-linux-manager-4.2.23-1.fc39.noarch.rpm
qubes-desktop-linux-manager-4.2.23-1.fc40.noarch.rpm
qubes-desktop-linux-manager_4.2.23-1+jammy1_amd64.deb
qubes-menus_4.2.7-1+jammy1_amd64.deb
qubes-menus_4.2.8-1+deb12u1_amd64.deb
qubes-menus_4.2.8-1+deb13u1_amd64.deb
qubes-menus-4.2.8-1.fc37.noarch.rpm
qubes-menus-4.2.8-1.fc38.noarch.rpm
qubes-menus-4.2.8-1.fc39.noarch.rpm
qubes-menus-4.2.8-1.fc40.noarch.rpm
qubes-menus_4.2.8-1+jammy1_amd64.deb
qubes-menus_4.2.9-1+deb12u1_amd64.deb
qubes-menus_4.2.9-1+deb13u1_amd64.deb
qubes-menus-4.2.9-1.fc37.noarch.rpm
qubes-menus-4.2.9-1.fc38.noarch.rpm
qubes-menus-4.2.9-1.fc39.noarch.rpm
qubes-menus-4.2.9-1.fc40.noarch.rpm
qubes-menus_4.2.9-1+jammy1_amd64.deb
qubes-mgmt-salt-base_4.1.7-1+deb12u1_all.deb
qubes-mgmt-salt-base_4.1.7-1+deb13u1_all.deb
qubes-mgmt-salt-base-4.1.7-1.fc37.noarch.rpm
qubes-mgmt-salt-base-4.1.7-1.fc38.noarch.rpm
qubes-mgmt-salt-base-4.1.7-1.fc39.noarch.rpm
qubes-mgmt-salt-base-4.1.7-1.fc40.noarch.rpm
qubes-mgmt-salt-base_4.1.7-1+jammy1_all.deb

Highlights

AudioVM project and overall Audio sub-system improvements is the major highlight. The path to r4.3 is going forward. I wonder if sys-audio would be shipped by default in r4.3.

Details

  • dist-upgrade v4.1.6 - Fixing minor issues on the path to upgrade from v4.1 to v4.2. Such as users with USB input devices and some minor message fixes. Of course no sign of an easy qubes-dist-upgrade for r4.2->r4.3 yet. It is too early.
  • repo-templates v4.3.0 - Building of r4.3 testing templates is triggered. The 1st template is Fedora-40-XFCE.
  • intel-microcode v2.1.20240514-58 - A new set of Microcodes for Intel Alder lake and newer as well as Xeon Scalable 4th & 5th Gen processors. This addresses 3 individual security issues. Details here.
  • core-admin v4.2.27 & 28 - Improvements for Audio sub-system and AudioVM.
  • core-admin-client v4.2.13 - Internal improvements, documentation, replacing old deprecated libraries with better ones, making the overlord code-checking robots happy. I see major moves to dynamic AudioVMs.
  • desktop-linux-i3 v4.23-1 - The niche tiling window manager used by some power users receives a release upgrade after 2 years. Upstream release notes here.
  • mgmt-salt-base v4.1.7 - Adding VM tags and features to pillar.
  • desktop-linux-common v4.2.8 & 9 - Sometimes deprecating old code might backfire. Here is an example. Deprecating pkg_resources in favour of importlib broke qvm-sync-appmenus and had to be reverted.
  • desktop-linux-manager v4.2.22 & 23 - Multiple fixes. Fixing a GUI Updater startup crash which happened if there were no known updates. A bug I personally tried to triangulate but was not able to reproduce as I always have something for update. Updater GUI will not exit on ESC key. Detecting end-of-life templates. Adding back the generic notation of block devices (sdX, sdX1, …) to Devices GUI Widget since many users requested it.

Epilogue

These newsletters are usually focused on what is uploaded and available rather than what is going to be initiated soon. But be aware that Fedora 41 templates are next in the pipeline.

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