are backports enabled by default?

[skyfishgoo]

in kubuntu 22.04 enabling backports and backports-extra required adding the repositories to discover (or synaptic) so they would show up in

/etc/apt/sources.list.d​

but now in 24.04 there is no longer any access to the repositories in discover and synaptic shows nothing either... so when i view

/etc/apt/sources.list.d​

directly, i find the following block of text

Types: deb
URIs: http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu
Suites: noble noble-updates noble-backports
Components: main universe restricted multiverse
Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/ubuntu-archive-keyring.gpg​

which seems to show that

noble-backports

is already enabled

am i reading this wrong?

are backports already enabled by default in 24.04?

[Snowhog]

but now in 24.04 there is no longer any access to the repositories in discover

Are you sure? When did you last look?

I'm running 24.04.2 LTS on my Desktop PC, and there, Discover shows Ubuntu 24.04.2 LTS ............................................ Default source ... Software Sources

Mind you, this wasn't always the case, as when Debian changed the content format of sources files, initially, Discover (and Synaptic) couldn't read the new structure, so wouldn't display them.

are backports already enabled by default in 24.04?

No.

The Backports PPA for Kubuntu currently only supports Jammy, Oracular, and Plucky.

[kapustin]

By default, apt will not install packages from Backports. When using Backports, it is important to understand that there is an inherent risk in backporting software.
Source here.

[skyfishgoo]

By default, apt will not install packages from Backports. When using Backports, it is important to understand that there is an inherent risk in backporting software.
Source here.

i don't disagree with anything being said here... but when i look at the file where the sources are listed it clearly includes noble-backports

the fact that such a repository does not exit (yet) is not comforting.

[Snowhog]

No.

The Backports PPA for Kubuntu currently only supports Jammy, Oracular, and Plucky.

Well, I have to retract my answer. claydoh might have a slight hissy-fit with the following; he doesn't really care for AI 'answers'; but...

AI Overview

In Kubuntu and Ubuntu, the backports repository itself isn't a new inclusion. Ubuntu has provided backports as a way to offer newer versions of software for older Ubuntu releases for some time. The backports repository contains packages from future releases recompiled to work on the current stable version.

However, the way Backports are included and managed in Ubuntu's sources has evolved. Specifically, regarding the ubuntu.sources file and the Suites: entry, the shift towards using this file and the /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ directory for repository management is a relatively recent development in Ubuntu.

Therefore, while the concept of backports is not new, their inclusion directly within the Suites: entry of the ubuntu.sources file is tied to the adoption of this newer repository management format i recent Ubuntu releases.

Key points

• Ubuntu and Kubuntu have had Backports for a while.
• The ubuntu.sources file and the sources.list.d directory are a newer way of managing repositories in Ubuntu.
• Backports are now integrated into the Suites: entry within the ubuntu.sources file in recent Ubuntu versions, as indicated by the example with noble-backports.

[claydoh]

The Kubuntu-backports PPA is completely unrelated to the backports section of the standard Ubuntu package archive. Noble-backports in this case. Debian has this sort of thing as well.


https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UbuntuBackports


https://www.maksonlee.com/understand...hen-to-use-it/

[skyfishgoo]

ah so the ubuntu backports are ON, but the kubuntu backports (and backports-extra) are NOT and in fact do not yet even exist.

ok, i understand what i'm looking at now.

[claydoh]

Correct-ish.

the noble-backports section of the archive is open, but requires manually specifying it be used per-package.

The completely separate repo, the Kubuntu-Backports PPA is not included by default. This is still an external third party repo, it just happens to be run by the Kubuntu team.

Ubuntu-backports is just a different section of the official Ubuntu repo archive, like Main, Universe, Multiverse, etc are. This is very much a Debian sort of layout.

Now, the kubuntu-backports-extra is a special PPA for 22.04 once 22.10 became EOL, and thus there would be no upgrade conflicts. It appears that it won't have anything for noble. Now, this may mainly be due to build dependency issues preventing anything for Noble from happening, but that is based on chat I recall reading, and may be wrong here. But it seems accurate. (They would need to build Qt as well, a-la KDE neon).

As to the Kubuntu-Backports PPA, this generally is not used to provide packages for LTS releases. By its name, it provides packages backported from future releases to the current one on non-LTS releases. This mainly means new plasma releases from the current development release being provided to the current supported non-LTS release.


If you use Synaptic, you can see what is offered in {$RELEASE}-backports specifically, mainly Libreoffice packages currently, but a very small amount of other things. Audacity, Cockpit, and yt-dlp.

[skyfishgoo]

Correct-ish.

the noble-backports section of the archive is open, but requires manually specifying it be used per-package.

having never done this, i was surprised at the number of packages installed from that specific "Origin" in synaptic labeled "not automatic"

seems pretty automatic to me.

[claydoh]

having never done this, i was surprised at the number of packages installed from that specific "Origin" in synaptic labeled "not automatic"

seems pretty automatic to me.

Actually, take a look at what it is actually showing, which I forget is not very clear.



Now look at what apt says:

$ apt policy libreoffice-common
libreoffice-common:
  Installed: 4:24.2.7-0ubuntu0.24.04.4 ,<---------------------------------------------------------------
  Candidate: 4:24.2.7-0ubuntu0.24.04.4 <--------------------------------------------------------------
  Version table:
     4:24.8.7-0ubuntu0.24.10.1~bpo24.04.1 100 <------------------------------------------------------ newer version NOT offered for installation autiomatically
        100 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu noble-backports/main amd64 Packages
        100 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu noble-backports/main i386 Packages
 *** 4:24.2.7-0ubuntu0.24.04.4 500  <----------------------------------------------------------------------Installed
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu noble-updates/main amd64 Packages
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu noble-updates/main i386 Packages
        500 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu noble-security/main amd64 Packages
        500 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu noble-security/main i386 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     4:24.2.2-0ubuntu1 500
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu noble/main amd64 Packages
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu noble/main i386 Packages

They have set up apt to have things from noble-backports available, but not preferred. Debian does similar things like this as well.

In Synaptic, there is a setting to prefer Backports or other sections. Setting it to Backports does change how Synaptic shows things - the "Not Automatic" becomes empty, and will disappear after refreshing,

[skyfishgoo]

wow... just when you think you are starting to understand some things and then this kind of thing comes up.

fcuking woosh.

ok, i'm coming back to you whenever i decide i want anything from any backport (ubuntu or kubuntu) because i'm so lost rn.

[claydoh]

wow... just when you think you are starting to understand some things and then this kind of thing comes up.

And this is old stuff. Add in the new stuff, and I am always confused.

Basically, I wish that they hadn't called the PPA "kubuntu-backports", even if it is 100% perfectly logical and accurate, just to avoid this sort of confusion.

The easiest thing is to just ignore the idea of ubuntu-backports altogether -- you don't really see it or use it or need it. This sort of stuff from Debian is why Ubuntu was created.

Just consider the kubuntu-backports PPA if you run a non-LTS Kubuntu to get fresher stuff.

But feel free to ask, I might be able to help clear the air, though as you can see, I like to add to the haze by over-explaining things all the time.

[skyfishgoo]

thanks, ur a gem.