Core & TKLDev v18.0 Stable Release

Happy to announce the stable release of Turnkey v18.0. Took a little longer than I had hoped and there are only two this time. Regardless, we've finally made it to the stable release milestone, at least for Core and TKLDev. I know we'll keep the momentum up and have more v18.0 appliances ready really soon!

In the meantime, these 2 new v18.0 appliances are published to our mirror network and are also available for download direct from their relevant appliance pages (app page links above, direct download links below) or launched directly from the Hub.

Downloads

Core (64bit / amd64 build):  339MB ISO  ( changelog ,  hash file ,  manifest )

TKLDev (64bit / amd64 build):  419MB ISO  ( changelog ,  hash file ,  manifest )

Changes of significance

As per previous TurnKey major version releases, the biggest change is the Debian version that this TurnKey release is based on. TurnKey 18.x release is based on Debian 12/Bookworm. As noted in the release candidate announcement the main changes have generally been at the software level, although much of the work will likely not be immediately obvious to an end user. We have done some general software maintenance and implemented some bugfixes and/or code cleanup in our software.

Otherwise, we inherit the updated Debian packages. As per usual, upstream software will be refreshed (where relevant - neither of these apps include upstream third-party software). There has also been a myriad of bug fixes applied and feature requests implemented. You can view the full changes that (will) apply to all v18.x appliances (to both these and the upcoming batches) via the Core v18.0 changes. New in v18.0, all appliances will include a full, exhaustive changelog. I.e. the TKLDev v18.0 changes include the changes for TKLDev, plus all the common Core changes. Previously common changes were only noted in the Core changelog.

Launching from the Hub

For now, the Hub will still launch v17.x appliances by default (mostly because there are only 2 v18.0 app so far). At some point, once we get a few more loaded, we'll make v18.x the default (and eventually remove v16.x altogether). In the meantime, it's really easy to launch these 2 new apps (and the upcoming ones as they get added) in their v18.0 incarnation. You can click this link to launch a new v18.0 server. Otherwise, look for the "18.x" text link in the top right corner when logged into the Hub (just below "logout"):

Where are the other builds?

Due to the time it's taken to get to this point, we've decided to focus primarily on getting the appliances updated and released ASAP. As such, we'll only be publishing ISO and Hub (AWS EC2) builds initially. I know that this won't suit all of our users and we deeply apologize in anticipation. The rationale for this move is that the ISO build can be installed almost anywhere, and the Hub builds provide our primary source of revenue (which keeps the lights on). Furthermore, with all appliances published as ISO, once we update and test the build code for other builds, pumping out the alternate build formats should be fairly straight forward. So, focusing on the ISO and AWS EC2 builds first seems like a reasonable balance between what we'd ideally like (publish everything together) and giving the community the maximum value, at the soonest possible moment.

In the meantime, if you REALLY need/want a specific build, please feel free to share which one. I can't offer any guarantees, but at the very least, I'm more than happy to assist you testing to see if the existing code works (if it does, great - if it needs update, then we'll play it by ear).

Just to be clear, we do intend to publish other builds. I just can't give firm timeframe on when they'll be available. As I say above, if that doesn't suit you, feel free to share your feelings (although please keep it classy). If we get big enough pushback from you, then perhaps we'll need to reassess?

Stuff that didn't make it...

There are always tons of things I try to cram into a new release. I try to close as many issues as possible, focusing first on the bugs, but also trying to implement feature requests and make any other improvements we can along the way. Much of this work occurs behind the scenes and most community members probably have no idea of how much agonizing occurs when it comes to deciding what to keep working on (trying to include), and what to leave until next time.

It's perhaps also worth noting that TKLBAM is still python2 in v18.0. We have made some steps towards porting it to py3, but again we didn't want to hold up v18.0 any longer. Plus, because TKLBAM is such a pivotal and important component, we can't afford to rush it and really do need to ensure that we test the heck out of it! The plan at this point is to pivot back to TKLBAM dev once v18.0 stable release is finished and keep working on the update. Our current intention is to release "TKLBAM 2.0" within the lifetime of v18.x. Initially both TKLBAM & TKLBAM2 will be available side-by-side. Once we get to v19.0 (or perhaps before?) we will have TKLBAM2 only. Obviously, the plan is open to changes, but I wanted to raise the curtain a little, so you have some insight into our plans.

Please help test and give us your feedback.

As per always, we'd be super happy if you gave these appliances a spin. Ideally, we'd love to hear how great they are. But obviously we'd also like to really hear of any issues you hit, any bugs we missed (or new ones we've introduced) or any other thoughts or feedback about v18.0.

If you aren't happy about any features we're missing, or things we should have included but didn't, let us know! Obviously keep it respectful, but we always love feedback! :)