Sync Updates

  • Node.js 20 is now in the repository, and it is co-installable with Node.js 18. Some applications, however, are still using very old versions of Node.js. As such, they have to be removed. This list includes:
    • beekeeper-studio
    • mailspring
    • kitematic
    • mongosh
  • emscripten package is also in need of a maintainer, or else it, too, will be removed from the repository.
  • linux-firmware is now compressed using zstd. This should save around 400-500MB on end user systems.
  • pinentry has been updated to 1.3.0. We now build GTK4 and Qt6 frontends for it. A wrapper script will detect at launch, the DE you are running, and will use a suitable frontends for said DE.
  • Qt is now at version 6.7.2. This release contains over 200 bug fixes, security enhancements, and other improvements.
  • XWayland 24.1 has landed in the repository, bringing explicit sync for GNOME Wayland users using AMD/Intel hardware.
  • The Steam udev rules have been moved into their own subpackage, named steam-udev-rules. People using the Steam flatpak can now install it to enable use of gaming controllers with the flatpak version of Steam.

New Packages

  • Several XApps have been added to the repository this week. If you haven’t heard of them, XApps are generic applications for traditional GTK desktop environments that don’t aim to integrate only in one environment. The following applications have been added:
    • xed, a text editor
    • xviewer, an image viewer based on Eye of GNOME
    • xviewer-plugins, a collection of plugins for XViewer
    • xreader, a PDF viewer
    • pix, a photo organization application based on gThumb
  • Other new packages available in the repository this week :
    • ryujinx, a Nintendo Switch emulator
    • distrobox
    • fooyin, a customizable music player
    • lime3ds, a Nintendo 3DS emulator, replacing Citra
    • nxsiv, an image viewer, replacing xsiv

Staff Updates

We formed a taskforce to handle our repository housekeeping tasks. This taskforce will mostly do mundane, but much needed, chores for our packages repository. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Adding appstream metainfo - 316 packages (+8 font packages) need appstream metainfo added
  • Adding homepage key - 435 packages left without homepage (Down from 2300 packages in October 2023)
  • Fixing packages that do not build - 18 packages do not build
  • Replace obsolete macros in recipes
  • Tagging packages for deprecation

Most of these tasks are beginner-friendly, and can be a great way to learn Solus packaging. We invite anyone that has the time and inclination to join us!

Security Updates

  • ghostscript was updated to 9.56.1-27. Includes security fixes for CVE-2023-28879, CVE-2023-38559, CVE-2023-43115, CVE-2023-52722, CVE-2024-29510, CVE-2024-33869, CVE-2024-33870, CVE-2024-33871.
  • kerberos was updated to 1.21.3-22. Includes security fixes for CVE-2024-37371.
  • wget was updated to 1.24.5-33. Includes security fixes for CVE-2024-38428.