Muon Suite 2.0.0 released

I am proud to announce the first alpha release for Muon Suite 2.0. The Muon Suite is a set of package management utilities for Debian-based Linux distributions built on KDE technologies. Packages for Kubuntu 12.10 “Quantal Quetzal” are available in the QApt PPA.

2.0? A rewrite?

Nope! I had to make changes to LibQApt that would prevent programs compiled against LibQApt 1.x from being able to run or compile against LibQApt 2.x. Muon Suite 2.0 simply means that it uses LibQApt 2.0. (In developer speak, this release breaks both ABI and API. It’s mostly source-compatible, but will require a few changes/additions in programs using LibQApt) I’ll write a separate post about LibQApt2 explaining the changes in detail. Most of my efforts this cycle have been towards LibQApt2, but this doesn’t mean that there’s nothing new on the Muon front. (In fact quite a bit of work was done simply with the port to QApt 2.0)

KNewStuff3 support

Both the Muon Software Center and Muon Discover now support installing things via KDE’s KNewStuff framework version 3. This is the framework that allows developers to publish scripted plugins such as Plasma widgets to the world. Currently the Muon Software Center and Muon Discover have categories for Plasma widgets (as well as plugins for the Comics plasmoid) utilizing KNS3. Suggestions for further categories using KNS3 are welcome.

 

Aleix wrote about this feature in detail at his blog. As he wrote, the work in supporting multiple resource types opens up the possibility of new backends. (Perhaps a backend that grabs data from AppStream in the future) Exciting stuff.

Muon Discover UI Improvements

A lot of work has gone in to improving the user interface of Muon Discover by my colleagues Aurélien Gâteau and Aleix Pol Gonzalez. Muon Discover now integrates much better with the rest of KDE, and is in general easier to use.

Changelogs

Detailed changelogs for LibQApt and Muon can be found here and here, respectively.

Plans for 2.1

Even though 2.0 has just been released, we’ve had some things on the back burner waiting for 2.1 that are already done. A plan for the feature set of 2.1 can be found here.

Muon Suite 1.9.97 (2.0 RC2) released

Due to human error, the tarball released for LibQApt and Muon 1.9.95 was actually a snapshot from git master (2.1 pre-alpha stuff). This was never meant for public consumption. The 1.9.97 (2.0 RC2) release consists of RC1, but with a proper tarball. Packages will soon be made available in the QApt Experimental PPA for Kubuntu 12.10, and packages for the development version of Kubuntu 13.04 will be available after Kubuntu 13.04 beta is released.

I’m terribly sorry for the inconvenience, and am still kicking myself for allowing that to happen.

Changelogs

Detailed changelogs for LibQApt and Muon can be found here and here, respectively, along with download links for the tarballs.

Muon Suite 1.9.95 (2.0 RC) released

I am proud to announce the first alpha release for Muon Suite 2.0. The Muon Suite is a set of package management utilities for Debian-based Linux distributions built on KDE technologies. Packages for Kubuntu 12.10 “Quantal Quetzal” are available in the QApt Experimental PPA. Additionally, packages are available in the development release of Kubuntu 13.04, “Raring Ringtail”.

Most of the big stuff for 2.0 was announced in my previous post. This release mostly features bugfixes over the previous 1.9.80 (2.0 beta) release.

Changelogs

Detailed changelogs for LibQApt and Muon can be found here and here, respectively.

Kubuntu Shirt! Flu!

I got a parcel in the mail the other day! The customs sticker said it contained a T-Shirt. My friend Jonathan Riddell sent the package, and the shirt looks rather spiffy, I think:

Festive Tree in the background. Awkward smile foreground.

I’ve never been one to be able to smile naturally for pictures, but here’s my best shot! Many thanks to Riddell, who gave away the leftover Kubuntu polo shirts from UDS to anybody who made a post like this.

I actually received the parcel at my parent’s house on the 13th of December, and was planning on doing this post last Sunday on the 16th However, on the 16th I began coming down with a bad case of the flu. (Get vaccinated! I forgot and paid the price.) From Monday until Wednesday I had a high fever (39.6°C or 103.3°F) complete with crazy flu dreams. I could hardly move until Thursday. I’m feeling much better now, (though I’m still blowing junk out of my nose) so that’s good.

Happy Holidays (the next one being Christmas)!

Muon Suite 1.9.65 (Alpha 2)

I am proud to announce the first alpha release for Muon Suite 2.0. The Muon Suite is a set of package management utilities for Debian-based Linux distributions built on KDE technologies. Packages for Kubuntu 12.10 “Quantal Quetzal” are available in the QApt Experimental PPA.

Most of the big stuff for 2.0 was announced in my previous post. Some bug fixes have been applied, as well as some more boring behind-the-scenes restructuring of code. That’s why this is still an alpha release instead of a beta release. We have a few more features we’d like to get in, and then do a beta release. (I’ve been busy studying for final exams this past week, which is why the release is a bit late…)

Changelogs

Detailed changelogs for LibQApt and Muon can be found here and here, respectively.

Muon Suite 2.0 alpha released

I meant to get this out by Monday, but the hurricane sort of put a damper on that… Here it is now, though.

I am proud to announce the first alpha release for Muon Suite 2.0. The Muon Suite is a set of package management utilities for Debian-based Linux distributions built on KDE technologies. Packages for Kubuntu 12.10 “Quantal Quetzal” are available in the QApt Experimental PPA.

2.0? A rewrite?

Nope! I had to make changes to LibQApt that would prevent programs compiled against LibQApt 1.x from being able to run or compile against LibQApt 2.x. Muon Suite 2.0 simply means that it uses LibQApt 2.0. (In developer speak, this release breaks both ABI and API. It’s mostly source-compatible, but will require a few changes/additions in programs using LibQApt) I’ll write a separate post about LibQApt2 explaining the changes in detail. Most of my efforts this cycle have been towards LibQApt2, but this doesn’t mean that there’s nothing new on the Muon front.

KNewStuff3 support

Both the Muon Software Center and Muon Discover now support installing things via KDE’s KNewStuff framework version 3. This is the framework that allows developers to publish scripted plugins such as Plasma widgets to the world. Currently the Muon Software Center and Muon Discover have categories for Plasma widgets (as well as plugins for the Comics plasmoid) utilizing KNS3. Suggestions for further categories using KNS3 are welcome.

 

 

Aleix wrote about this feature in detail at his blog. As he wrote, the work in supporting multiple resource types opens up the possibility of new backends. (Perhaps a backend that grabs data from AppStream in the future) Exciting stuff.

Changelogs

Detailed changelogs for LibQApt and Muon can be found here and here, respectively.

Muon Suite 1.4.1 released

I am glad to announce the first bugfix release for Muon Suite 1.4. The Muon Suite is a set of package management utilities for Debian-based Linux distributions built on KDE technologies. Sorry that this is a bit late. I meant to do this two weeks ago, but my MBR died that weekend. That got fixed, but I’ve not had a chance to do this release until now…

The 1.4.1 release fixes several issues with the experimental Muon Discover frontend. Additionally, a bug where the Muon Notifier would hang KDED for 25 seconds when checking for new versions of Kubuntu was fixed. (Only affected people behind system-wide proxies)

Packages for Kubuntu 12.04 are from the QApt repository, and in the main repositories for Kubuntu 12.10.

Further technical information about the release, including source tarball downloads and a detailed changelog, can be found at the project pages here and here.

Exciting things are happening in Git, so stay tuned for some blogs on that in the near future! (Maybe in two weeks or so?)