A month full of interesting package updates in my Slackware package repositories. I have not blogged about them, because of a busy work schedule, but here are the highlights.
Note that you can subscribe your feedreader to my RSS feeds (regular and restricted) so that you never miss a package update!
Ardour
With more than two years of development after 6.0 was released in May 2020, a new major update for Ardour was finally made available last week. Packages are available for 32bit and 64bit Slackware 15.0 and -current.
Ardour 7.0 comes with lots of new features, and Unfa goes in-depth in this YouTube video:
Avidemux
Avidemux 2.8.1 was released in September, and I missed the announcement. Fortunately I was alerted to it today by a Slackware user who commented on the blog. These packages are found in my restricted repository because they contain AAC encoder libraries, the code for which is patent-encumbered in the United States.
For the 32bit package I had to forcibly disable SSE support in the soundtouch library, if anyone comes across a patch that fixes the compilation error, let me know. I guess nobody runs test builds of Avidemux on a 32bit OS anymore.
Chromium
I uploaded three consecutive updates for Chromium 106 (regular as well as un-googled) during the last month, did anyone notice?
As usual, any update to Chromium is a must-do, to eradicate any vulnerabilities that allow online hackers to own your computer. Again, subscribing to my repository’s RSS feed will alert you to updates immediately.
Docker
My four Docker related packages (runc, containerd, docker and docker-compose, you don’t need any other package) were also updated to their latest releases last week.
A note: I provide 32bit packages for Docker, even though that is supposed to not work. At least, it is not supported by the developers. I wonder, since I tested the 32bit packages and they actually do work (I can run 32bit containers on a 32bit host) is there anyone who uses these? Or should I skip 32bit builds of future Docker releases altogether? Let me know.
LibreOffice
LibreOffice 7.4.2 was released last week and I uploaded a set of packages right before the weekend, so that you can enjoy the latest and greatest of this office suite on Slackware 15.0 and -current.
Note that I build these packages on Slackware 15.0 but also offer these same packages for installation on slackware-current. Since slackware-current ships newer (incompatible) versions of boost and icu4c, please also install boost-compat and icu4c-compat from my repository – these packages contain older versions of the boost and icu4c libraries and are a live-saver if you are running slackware-current. Note that this “compat” is not the same as “compat32” – which is the designation for the converted 32bit Slackware packages in my multilib package set!
OBS Studio
If you ever have a need for recording a live video using professional-grade software, Open Broadcaster Software released OBS Studio version 28.0.3 recently. If you want to broadcast a live stream of an event you are covering, OBS Studio plugs straight into Youtube, Facebook, Twitch or other streaming platforms. Packages are available for Slackware 15.0 and -current.
More…
Also I had to update Calibre, FFMpeg and Audacity packages for Slackware-current, after the recent incompatible upgrades of Qt5 and FFMpeg in the OS.
If you wonder ‘why ffmpeg, it’s part of Slackware already‘ – my ffmpeg package has several codecs enabled that the stock Slackware version does not offer, particularly the package in my restricted repository.
Have fun! Eric
Wow !
Thanks’s Eric !!
i REALLY appreciate all your efforts.
— kjh
P.S. I DID notice the latest chromium ungoogled ( and Calibre ) but not until Oct 13 or so …
Thanks again Eric.
Yes, Eric! I noticed! 🙂
By the way, I have your blog and repositories in a feed reader. Arduor 6 was giving some problems while playing with pipewire, I’ll try 7 and see if it solves it.
Thank you!
Hee Eric,
Thanks for all the updates, and yes, I noticed the Chromium updates too!
There’s already another update by the way, version 106.0.5249.119. It never stops, i guess…
🙂
Best wishes, Marco
By the way, did you ever get credit from Patrick Verner for using your Libreoffice packages in his commercial Parted Magic product? Just wondering.
Patrick Verner does not hide the fact that the LO package he includes is the one built by Eric Hameleers. See e.g. the About LibreOffice popup.
And since when has whether or not a distribution is “commercial” anything to do with the GPL?
😀
I know that.
Would be really going to far if he would adjust the about box btw. Still, it doesn’t sit quite right with me that he earns money with mostly other people’s work.
I do object to your “mostly” statement.
😀
Duly noted.
THanks for everything! And Unfa’s very cool. He’s one of the channels I watch religiously.
hmm… do not see ffmpeg and obs-studio for 15.0; only old ones there
I checked once more – the package I created using SBo scipt (27.2.1) is 82 MB large; the ones in your repository – just 4.5 M
The SBo script adds a downloaded binary distribution of CEF (Chromium Embedded Framework, see https://bitbucket.org/chromiumembedded/cef/src/master/) just to enable an embedded browser inside OBS Studio.
I like to stay away from embedding binaries I do not control, and I do not see a good reason for adding webbrowser capability to OBS Studio.
That added Chromium binary explains the size difference.
The new ffmpeg 5.x is only for Slackware-current. Adding ffmpeg5 to Slackware 15.0 would break all sorts of stuff, my ffmpeg packages have the exact same version as the official Slackware package.
About OBS Studio you are correct, I still needed to compile the packages for Slackware 15.0. Tthose have now been built and uploaded to my repository.
Hi, Eric!
I tried to get OBS-Studio 28.0.3 compiled (on 15.0) and found it requires a line of new dependencies – libstl, librast, ntv2 (two more I do not recall). Some of them can be skipped, some – not.
I don’t know about these dependencies, I did not encounter them. I uploaded obs-studio-28.0.3 packages for Slackware 15.0 on October 18th with identical dependency requirements to the previous packages.
thanks eric, yes I noticed chrome and libreoffice.:-). always grateful for your work in those areas.
Have you come across makemkv in your multimedia work?. it was brought to my attention via a recent geoff georling youtube vid. It allows you to rip video with audio and subtitle info from dvds (and bluerays), and there is some source for a linux version. I found it helpful when vlc wouldn’t play a dvd, it would play the ripped mkv file using makemkv, and of course the mkv files can be shrunk in size with handbrake.
Thanks Eric for the package updates.
I dutifully upgraded chromium-ungoogled and LO when you uploaded them in your repository.
I get notified of any update in your repo by running an hourly script of “slackpkg check-updates” with slackpkg+.
I sometimes get false positive (i.e. repo was updated with packages that I don’t use) but at least it gives me reason to visit your blog to see what you’re up to.
Great stuff Eric! The midi note timing and midi notes disappearing at edges of regions has plagued my midi use in ardour as well (as unfa attests to). I’m very excited to try this version which has supposedly fixed that finally.
Thanks for the packages. Hope you and your family are well!
Hi Eric.
Thanks for all these packages update. Thanks for taking the time from your busy agenda. Appreciate it.
I respectfully advice a space in Alien’s pasture for docker. The way you explain and develop topics could add value for those interested in this topic. I am still studying and going back to understand concepts behind your EPIC “Slackware Cloud Server Series”.
Sound features are very interesting… I would like to explore some of those packages.. is it necessary any type of hardware (mixer console, for example) to explore them. Any advice as an starting point?
Again thanks!.
Hi Francisco, the first article in “Slackware Cloud Server” was actually dedicated to Docker.
About playing with Audio applications – if you stay purely with the software and are not planning on adding physical musical instruments to the mix, you will not have a need for any external hardware. Ardour or Audacity for instance would take care of stuff like a mixer interface. It would pay off to look for a proper external USB audio interface though, the sound quality will improve a lot over the cheap onboard sound card of your computer.
Thanks a lot!
Eric, I definitely noticed how many Chromium updates came up recently and your prompt updates of your Chromium-ungoogled packages.
LibreOffice on Slackware64 15.0: after the previous update, it started running minimized by default, like a couple of other people mentioned in comments in your post announcing that update. Before I got to looking for a fix, the latest update brought it back to tip-top shape.
Thanks for your in putting together those packages and many more, and your prompt updates.
TKS
Hi Eric,
Thanks for the Chromium 107 update, but I’m afraid there’s already a new one, fixing a known exploit. 🙁
Could you please build this version for Chromium-ungoogled (107.0.5304.87) when it’s available?
Thanks in advance! Marco
Chromium requires a lot of time to compile, which I can only do when not at work. Also the chromium-ungoogled packages need to be built – that is 4 packages each taking more than 9 hours.
They will become available, just don’t try to rush me, these packages won’t arrive any sooner as a result…
Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. I thought, maybe you’re busy building the previous Ungoogled Chromium 107 (seeing as you already uploaded Chromium 107), and wanted to spare you the effort, knowing it has a known exploit.
I said “when it’s available” because it still isn’t, not to rush you. It soon will be, I think, the PR was accepted an hour ago.
Packages will arrive, in due time.
Thanks Eric for chromium-107.0.5304.87 and chromium-ungoogled-107.0.5304.87
Posting from chromium-ungoogled-107.0.5304.87-x86_64-1alien
— kjh
Yes Eric, thank you!
Nice. obs-websocket is built into OBS 28. I figured I’d need to tinker and/or rebuild something to get stream-pi working, since I haven’t streamed in a year. Nope! Worked out of the box. Thanks for your package!