Bug #11534
closedCHIRP broken in Ubuntu 24.04, needs simple patch
0%
Description
I know that this is a downstream problem, but since Ubuntu (along with its derivatives like Linux Mint) is the most prominent Linux distribution used by many (amateur) radio enthusiasts nowadays it is a problem that should be resolved. CHIRP in Ubuntu 24.04 (LTS) contains a regression that causes it to crash on launch when no existing config file is found (e.g. clear installation).
Here is an upstream commit fixing this regression: https://github.com/kk7ds/chirp/commit/0885555196b94ffad44acc7ca9b37a1ba67b815e
Here is a downstream (Ubuntu) ticket with more details: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/chirp/+bug/2071563
To have this fixed in Ubuntu 24.04, a special update called "Stable Release Update" (SRU) is needed. This requires a community member or an app developer to prepare a diff with the fix (patch from upstream commit 0885555) added along with updated changelog, bumped package version number and other small changes. Then it should be uploaded and "sponsored" by some Ubuntu (and/or Canonical) team member.
It would be great if someone from the CHIRP team could prepare this update. I am aware that there also is a CHIRP snap, but that is not suitable for everyone and snaps also usually work (and are integrated) properly only on Ubuntu, not its derivatives like Linux Mint.
Here are some details about the SRU process:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/StableReleaseUpdates
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuStudio/DebDiff
If there is a problem, it is possible to ask for help on one of the official IRC channels:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/IRC/ChannelList
(Preferably on #ubuntu-packaging or #ubuntu-hams @ irc.libera.chat.)
Updated by Daniel Rusek about 2 months ago
Updated by Dan Smith about 2 months ago
- Status changed from New to Rejected
The chirp team has nothing to do with the package in Ubuntu, so there's nothing actionable for us here. FWIW I wouldn't recommend anyone run that package because it's so old, lacking many bug fixes by virtue of being old, and obviously not being maintained closely. The fact that it is missing a linux-specific patch from months ago should be a clear enough sign :)
Updated by Daniel Rusek about 2 months ago
Then you should probably look at my second ticket (#11482): CHIRP-next has no official Linux packages intended for regular users. Ubuntu users are (more or less) covered by the snap version, but there is nothing for Linux Mint and other distributions with outdated or no downstream CHIRP packages. There are no official rpm/deb packages or an AppImage, Flatpak is available only for CHIRP-legacy (and it for some reason is not available on Flathub) and the hard to install .whl package (seriously, who wants to install new apps using "pip install [file.whl]"?) is a joke.
Considering how many amateur radio operators run Linux Mint (it is probably the most popular Linux distribution among hams, at least in my country), I consider this a very unfortunate move. But it is of course up to you. :)
Have a great day.
Regards,
Daniel (OK2VLK)