GnuCash 2.6.12 made it to Ubuntu LTS [WAS: Re: Ubuntu LTS GnuCash "Frozen" at 2.6.9; exception needed]

[Tommy Trussell]

On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 5:38 PM, Tommy Trussell <tommy.trussell at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Earlier today on gnucash-user I suggested the next LTS version of Ubuntu,
> 16.04 "Xenial Xarus" would include GnuCash 2.6.11. After I wrote that
> message I checked [1] and found that's not exactly correct... according to
> the release schedule [2] Ubuntu Xenial's Debian Import Freeze occurred a
> few days ago. While the import picked up the 2.6.11 version of the
> documentation package, the software is still at version 2.6.9. I believe
> the mis-match should not be a problem for the documentation package.
>
> HOWEVER I wish the repository did not contain GnuCash 2.6.9. That version
> has a major QIF import bug and a few other important things that were fixed
> in 2.6.11 (see the announcement at gnucash.org for a list).
>
...

> 1) I find the Debian Tracker [5] useful.
>
>  ...

> [1] http://packages.ubuntu.com/xenial/gnucash
> [2] https://wiki.ubuntu.com/XenialXerus/ReleaseSchedule
>
 ...

> [5] https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/gnucash
>

It looks like GnuCash 2.6.12 made it into the forthcoming release of
Ubuntu, "Xenial Xerus" 16.04 LTS (Long Term Support). Great news!

It seemed important because the LTS releases are used "downstream" to
several other distros. Besides, GnuCash seems to be one of the important
packages promoted in the newly redesigned package tool in Xenial. It's
always good to know new users will have the newest version possible!

[Background: The past LTS release, "Trusty Tahr" 14.04, included a
particularly buggy version (2.6.1) that caused many new or inexperienced
users to GnuCash to have a less-than-optimal experience.]

Thank you to Amr Ibrahim who opened the detailed bug [6] and Logan Rosen,
the member of the Ubuntu sponsors team who tested and verified that the
latest Debian Testing (aka "stretch") source packages work without
modification. Thank you also to the many others who helped in other ways.

The new packages haven't yet appeared in the Ubuntu section of Debian's
package tracker [5] but you can see them in Ubuntu's Launchpad for
GnuCash[7] and GnuCash documentation[8] packages.

[6] https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnucash/+bug/1563872
[7] https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnucash
[8] https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnucash-docs