Ubuntu 22.04 is too new for linuxdeployqt, while Github Actions are shutting down Ubuntu 20.04

[vadi2]

Github Actions will be shutting down Ubuntu 20.04 images soon, see this email: https://public.hey.com/p/7sV4K7YEREm5JAoXEw8Z7XQA

I understand the philosophy behind using the latest available LTS, however if no action is taken, linuxdeployqt will be unusable in Github Actions CI.

Could something be done here?

[probonopd]

So they Microsoft is shutting down these images before Canonical Standard Support ends. This is very unfortunate.

What could we do? The options:

I could:

• Allow linuxdeployqt to use 22.04 already beginning in March rather than May and start testing AppImages in appimage.github.io on 22.04 already in March. Disadvantage: AppImages built using linuxdeployqt on 22.04 would not run on 20.04 which is supported until May. Users would lose 2 months and we would be violating our own policy that every AppImage shall run on all still-supported LTS releases

You could:

• Run in a Docker Container of 20.04 on GitHub Actions (possible but may be a bit more work)
• Use a tool that bundles everything instead of using linuxdeployqt (e.g., go-appimage appimagetool -s deploy option. This way, the version used to build does not matter at all and everything is bundled

[manongjohn]

I fully support wanting to make sure linuxdeployqt works on the oldest supported version, however most people need time to work out migration issues when moving to the next version of Ubuntu.

Any chance for at least a fixed pre-release/beta version for the 22.04 to help with the migration?

[probonopd]

Yes, in May 2025.

I fully support wanting to make sure linuxdeployqt works on the oldest supported version

This is not just about making sure that linuxdeployqt itself works on the oldest supported LTS release. It is mostly about ensuring that the AppImages made with it will run on the oldest supported LTS release.

[manongjohn]

I'm sure most people can't just wait til May and then easily flip a switch to go from 20.04 to 22.04. At the same time, those who are forced to migrate early are now out of luck. Switching 2 - 3 months prior to EOS isn't unheard of.

I am not asking for the current continuous build to change over now. Looking for a separate pre-release version for 22.04 to be made available so people can use that temporarily to migrate ahead of the official switch. When the time comes, users would update their processes back to the continuous build and you can facilitate that by dropping the pre-release version.

Anyway. since you are align with the EOS dates, please consider a way to allow for early migrations while still supporting the current version as I suggested above.

[SlySven]

GitHub is already "browning-out" Ubuntu 20 (our project got hit by it today) and there is only a few days left until it will not be available AT ALL (2025-04-15) so WTF are we supposed to do? 😕

actions/runner-images#11101

[probonopd]

Some options:

• Wait until May
• Run in a Docker Container of 20.04 on GitHub Actions (possible but may be a bit more work)
• Use a tool that bundles everything instead of using linuxdeployqt (e.g., go-appimage appimagetool -s deploy option. This way, the version used to build does not matter at all and everything is bundled

[manongjohn]

Another option is to build from source with the 1 check commented out. 😄

I created a fork of this repo, create my branch off main and commented out the check.
My actions now download the fork, switch to my branch and compile and install and use it without issue.

[probonopd]

...producing binaries that will not run on all still-supported LTS releases of Ubuntu (and similarly aged distributions). At the very least, I'd recommend that you update the check to the next oldest still-supported LTS (22.04 LTS) instead of removing it altogether; just so that you (or others) don't inadvertently produce binaries that don't even run on that one.

[probonopd]

See #633.