5 ms·

Still no chromium update. It should just be removed if there is no interest in updating the browser.

by aninteger 6y ago

rwmj 6y ago
If it's important to you, you should help with the work that's needed.
- scrollaway 6y ago
  GP has a point. Removing it would be better than having a way outdated browser in the repos.
- vbernat 6y ago
  Well, you can try to help, but there is no guarantee that your help is welcome. You will have to do the work, then convince the maintainer to accept it. If the maintainer is unresponsive, you may work for nothing. This seems the case here: we don't know why the maintainer is unresponsive. And people can't casually upload a new version due to strong ownership culture.
  - geofft 6y ago
    Would the stable release managers not accept a non-maintainer upload? I agree the strong ownership culture is a serious problem, but it mostly affects unstable, right?
  - jlgaddis 6y ago
    https://bugs.debian.org/972134 https://bugs.debian.org/972134
gaius_baltar 6y ago
I really understand why Ubuntu migrated Chromium to snaps only. Splitting all the code it embedded back to the original libraries is certainly a nightmare.
- eznzt 6y ago
  If you don't have the manpower then don't. It's that simple.
  - cbhl 6y ago
    Debian's policy stands in direct contrast to Google's so you're fighting an uphill battle against $number developers. Debian prefers dynamic linking: https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-sharedlibs.html#s-sharedlibs-static https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-sharedlibs.html#... Whereas Google wants everything vendored: https://opensource.google/docs/thirdparty/chromium/ https://opensource.google/docs/thirdparty/chromium/
    - yegle 6y ago
      This is a common problem that also apply to K8s, LWN recently have this article: https://lwn.net/Articles/835599/ https://lwn.net/Articles/835599/
      - rektide 6y ago
        It's really a pity vendoring & static linking has become so widely accepted, so prevalent. It allows such drift from upstream, freedom from responsibility to maintain yourself as something modern. It increases both the size of what you have to distribute, and the memory profile. And it means that when a security update is necessary, each library consumer has to be responsible & on-time with delivering updates rapidly. It feels like it was created out of such petty, small needs & wants. It's convenient to be able to copy a binary around anywhere, & have it just work. It's convenient to stand off, on your own, ignorant of the world you exist in. But it's so contrary to me to good healthy engineering practices, enables such radical irresponsibility & divergence. I don't see a lot of push back to static linking, but it feels like a modern & popular plague to me. Go, rust, the whole world software development world seems to be increasingly less interested in systems, & more interested in itself.
        6y ago
shaicoleman 6y ago
For getting chromium you have a couple of options: * You can use chromium flatpak version from Flathub * You can add the Linux Mint repos, and install the chromium package from there (untested) * You can install the chromium snap (not recommended due to slow launch times)
- yjftsjthsd-h 6y ago
  Sure, but if those are the options then having an old version in the main deb repos is at best unhelpful and confusing.
- asveikau 6y ago
  I haven't been paying attention to debian packing of chromium, but I am wondering, is the situation on testing or unstable any better? I used debian on desktops and laptops spanning several decades and IMO a typical desktop user probably doesn't want to stay on stable, that's been my experience anyway. Machines I don't use interactively I've kept on stable though.
  - 7v3x3n3sem9vv 6y ago
    I use Debian stable my primary desktop OS and for servers. I just stick to flathub, backports, install from vendor or build from source if needed/easily done. Works well enough for me, although I can see it may not be for everyone.
    - TaylorAlexander 6y ago
      This makes sense. In recent years I had so many problems compiling things on Debian that needed newer libraries that I caved and went to Ubuntu. But I still run in to library conflicts and I have long felt like I am abusing my system when I try to force some slightly unsupported libraries on to my system to compile someones github code at 3am. I suppose if I lean more on containers for development and flatpack etc for programs it would be easier to maintain a Debian stable system. Debian has been great for me aside from having older libraries!
SubiculumCode 6y ago
Or perhaps Firefox. All the haters say it's a Chrome copy anyway, right? But seriously, why Chromium?
- Scarbutt 6y ago
  Though is easy to get Firefox linux from mozilla, Debian stable repos only have Firefox-esr.
Scarbutt 6y ago
I remember Debian keeping Chromium up-to-date, what changed?
- Macha 6y ago
  Ubuntu moved to snaps, maybe just less manpower on building chromium dpkg's?
  - vdfs 6y ago
    That's not the reason, Ubuntu still build deb chromium updates for 18.04, this is just a Debian policy or something else Debian specific
- vbernat 6y ago
  Chromium is maintained by only one person in Debian. This person is currently unavailable. Debian does not have good procedures to handle unavailable maintainers. There are also older reasons why there is only one person. In the past, it was a two-person effort.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
jlgaddis 6y ago
You may be interested in the discussion on bug #972134 [0]. -- [0]: https://bugs.debian.org/972134 https://bugs.debian.org/972134
higerordermap 6y ago
Hi, are there missing security updates in Debian chromium or such risks? I use Debian because bandwidth is precious, and avoided chromium for fears of chromium's fast development leading to Debian missing some important patches. I don't care about newest version anyway.

Still no chromium update. It should just be removed if there is no interest in updating the browser.

rwmj 6y ago

If it's important to you, you should help with the work that's needed.

scrollaway 6y ago
GP has a point. Removing it would be better than having a way outdated browser in the repos.
vbernat 6y ago
Well, you can try to help, but there is no guarantee that your help is welcome. You will have to do the work, then convince the maintainer to accept it. If the maintainer is unresponsive, you may work for nothing. This seems the case here: we don't know why the maintainer is unresponsive. And people can't casually upload a new version due to strong ownership culture.
- geofft 6y ago
  Would the stable release managers not accept a non-maintainer upload? I agree the strong ownership culture is a serious problem, but it mostly affects unstable, right?
- jlgaddis 6y ago
  https://bugs.debian.org/972134 https://bugs.debian.org/972134

gaius_baltar 6y ago

I really understand why Ubuntu migrated Chromium to snaps only. Splitting all the code it embedded back to the original libraries is certainly a nightmare.

eznzt 6y ago
If you don't have the manpower then don't. It's that simple.
- cbhl 6y ago
  Debian's policy stands in direct contrast to Google's so you're fighting an uphill battle against $number developers. Debian prefers dynamic linking: https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-sharedlibs.html#s-sharedlibs-static https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-sharedlibs.html#... Whereas Google wants everything vendored: https://opensource.google/docs/thirdparty/chromium/ https://opensource.google/docs/thirdparty/chromium/
  - yegle 6y ago
    This is a common problem that also apply to K8s, LWN recently have this article: https://lwn.net/Articles/835599/ https://lwn.net/Articles/835599/
    - rektide 6y ago
      It's really a pity vendoring & static linking has become so widely accepted, so prevalent. It allows such drift from upstream, freedom from responsibility to maintain yourself as something modern. It increases both the size of what you have to distribute, and the memory profile. And it means that when a security update is necessary, each library consumer has to be responsible & on-time with delivering updates rapidly. It feels like it was created out of such petty, small needs & wants. It's convenient to be able to copy a binary around anywhere, & have it just work. It's convenient to stand off, on your own, ignorant of the world you exist in. But it's so contrary to me to good healthy engineering practices, enables such radical irresponsibility & divergence. I don't see a lot of push back to static linking, but it feels like a modern & popular plague to me. Go, rust, the whole world software development world seems to be increasingly less interested in systems, & more interested in itself.
      - 6y ago

shaicoleman 6y ago

For getting chromium you have a couple of options: * You can use chromium flatpak version from Flathub * You can add the Linux Mint repos, and install the chromium package from there (untested) * You can install the chromium snap (not recommended due to slow launch times)

yjftsjthsd-h 6y ago
Sure, but if those are the options then having an old version in the main deb repos is at best unhelpful and confusing.
asveikau 6y ago
I haven't been paying attention to debian packing of chromium, but I am wondering, is the situation on testing or unstable any better? I used debian on desktops and laptops spanning several decades and IMO a typical desktop user probably doesn't want to stay on stable, that's been my experience anyway. Machines I don't use interactively I've kept on stable though.
- 7v3x3n3sem9vv 6y ago
  I use Debian stable my primary desktop OS and for servers. I just stick to flathub, backports, install from vendor or build from source if needed/easily done. Works well enough for me, although I can see it may not be for everyone.
  - TaylorAlexander 6y ago
    This makes sense. In recent years I had so many problems compiling things on Debian that needed newer libraries that I caved and went to Ubuntu. But I still run in to library conflicts and I have long felt like I am abusing my system when I try to force some slightly unsupported libraries on to my system to compile someones github code at 3am. I suppose if I lean more on containers for development and flatpack etc for programs it would be easier to maintain a Debian stable system. Debian has been great for me aside from having older libraries!

SubiculumCode 6y ago

Or perhaps Firefox. All the haters say it's a Chrome copy anyway, right? But seriously, why Chromium?

Scarbutt 6y ago
Though is easy to get Firefox linux from mozilla, Debian stable repos only have Firefox-esr.

Scarbutt 6y ago

I remember Debian keeping Chromium up-to-date, what changed?

Macha 6y ago
Ubuntu moved to snaps, maybe just less manpower on building chromium dpkg's?
- vdfs 6y ago
  That's not the reason, Ubuntu still build deb chromium updates for 18.04, this is just a Debian policy or something else Debian specific
vbernat 6y ago
Chromium is maintained by only one person in Debian. This person is currently unavailable. Debian does not have good procedures to handle unavailable maintainers. There are also older reasons why there is only one person. In the past, it was a two-person effort.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

jlgaddis 6y ago

You may be interested in the discussion on bug #972134 [0]. -- [0]: https://bugs.debian.org/972134 https://bugs.debian.org/972134

higerordermap 6y ago

Hi, are there missing security updates in Debian chromium or such risks? I use Debian because bandwidth is precious, and avoided chromium for fears of chromium's fast development leading to Debian missing some important patches. I don't care about newest version anyway.