Request for update to version: 85.0.4183.121-1 for Debian / Ubuntu

[TheJags]

Under the GitHub releases, the latest version available is 85.0.4183.121-1 https://github.com/Eloston/ungoogled-chromium/releases

While it's still version 84.0.4147.135-1.focal1 on this OpenSUSE page: https://software.opensuse.org/download/package?package=ungoogled-chromium&project=home:ungoogled_chromium

Please let me know, if I'm posting this in a wrong place. Thanks.

[ghost]

We already know. It takes a long time for Debian to update their files for new chromium releases.

[TheJags]

@braewoods

Oh okay, and the same applies to ubuntu too?

Thanks alot.

[ghost]

For ours yes. Ubuntu doesn't really ship their own chromium anymore as it's now a snap.

[ih8ms]

@braewoods How does Debian/Ubuntu itself affect publishing the latest .debs in the opensuse repositories? Just asking...

[ghost]

They don't. We don't publish OpenSuse packages. We just use their build service to build for Debian / Ubuntu. But since Debian hasn't updated their chromium package yet we don't really have a quick means of updating for chromium 85. The source packages must be updated before the binary packages you normally use can be available.

[ih8ms]

Okay, thanks for clarification. Switching to portable Linux instead. :)

[Eloston]

For the record, I commented this: https://github.com/Eloston/ungoogled-chromium/issues/1198#issuecomment-703332969

If no one else is interested in doing so, I am considering reviving Debian minimal, which was a Debian package wrapper around Portable Linux. It will include a few Debianization patches, and maybe VA-API patches too.

[berkley4]

Over the weekend I had a go at building the latest 86 version of UC for debian, but the build wouldn't go very far, with complaints about missing files and dependencies before hitting a python permission error.

I suspect the extra customisation that seems to go into debian's version makes it much more difficult for the upstream debian maintainer to succeed in building a package (let alone a less technically-minded user such as myself).

Meanwhile, quite a few people on Reddit, plus a couple of people on the debian mailing lists, are starting to remark on the insecurity of the Chromium package in debian's repo.

It makes me wonder if the increased privacy is worth the decreased security, hence I'd welcome Eloston's offer, even if used purely as a stopgap until debian get their act together.

[JosephReza]

Linux Mint has packaged Chromium for themselves (based off of ubuntu 20.04) and that's up to date. Would it be possible to at least use that to get an Ubuntu update? And if so, would it also work on Ubuntu 20.10?

[berkley4]

@Magus-Sama - this repo appears to be effectively unmaintained until Debian upstream releases an update.

I've tried compiling 86.0.4240.111 but could only get as far as the final linking phase where I ran into an undefined symbol error. Along the way I ran into a myriad of issues which other distros appear not to encounter.

One of the biggest problems seems to be the sheer amount of extra patches that Debian employs, which introduces a maintenance burden and seems to cause bugs in the build process. Whether it's vanilla Chromium or the Ungoogled variety, distros such as Mint, Arch and Gentoo seem to get by with far fewer patches.

I'll have a go at building 87 later on, but this might well require dropping the Debian-specific patches in order to get a successful build. Some of the less intrusive and hence more maintainable Debian patches can then be cherry-picked back into something that at least builds.

Unless upstream Debian becomes group-maintained, slavishly following them seems a very unwise idea. Waiting months for critical security updates to be patched completely defeats the privacy objectives of this project.

[TheJags]

@Magus-Sama - this repo appears to be effectively unmaintained until Debian upstream releases an update.

Waiting months for critical security updates to be patched completely defeats the privacy objectives of this project.

I totally agree. If the browser or the whole system gets compromised... what would be the point of privacy. And that is exactly what is happening with Chrome, prior to version 86.0.4240.183. While Debian / Ubuntu version still at 84.0.4147.135.

Here's vulnerability details from ars article, just in case if anyone doesn't know about these two actively exploited vulnerabilities (CVE-2020-15999 and CVE-2020-16009) found by Google's own Project Zero vulnerability and exploit research arm that were patched on Oct 21, and Nov 03. The latest fix was incorporated into version 86.0.4240.183

More info at ArsTechnica:

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/11/google-fixes-two-more-chrome-zerodays-that-were-under-active-exploit/

Also, if you open this link:

https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/chromium-browser

it says, "package is gone."

So for the time being, I've started using Microsoft Edge for Linux (developer version: 88.0.702.0) on Ubuntu MATE 20.10. Now I know it might defeat the privacy part, but it gets updated weekly at the least.

Though, as per this TheVerge article, Microsoft removes or replaces 53 Google services from Chromium.

https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/8/18300772/microsoft-google-services-removed-changed-chromium-edge-browser

[ghost]

Also, if you open this link:

https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/chromium-browser

it says, "package is gone."

That's because the Debian package is chromium, not chromium-browser.

https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/chromium

Not that this matters much, though. It's still unmaintained either way.

[Eloston]

Closing because unportable variant is available.