Signal-desktop: Provide Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic package at updates.signal.org

[gene1wood]

• [x] I have searched open and closed issues for duplicates

---

Bug description

Currently there are no signal-desktop packages for the current Ubuntu Long Term Support (LTS) release of Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic

When enabling the updates.signal.org apt repository on a Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic system, apt gives the error

E: The repository 'https://updates.signal.org/desktop/apt bionic Release' does not have a Release file.

Steps to reproduce

1. On a fresh Ubuntu 18.04 system, install the apt key

   wget --quiet --output-document - https://updates.signal.org/desktop/apt/keys.asc | sudo apt-key add -

2. Install the apt source

   echo "deb [arch=amd64] https://updates.signal.org/desktop/apt bionic main" | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list.d/signal.list

3. Run apt update

   apt update

Actual result:

...
Err:13 https://updates.signal.org/desktop/apt bionic Release                                                                                                            
  404  Not Found [IP: 2600:9000:202d:e600:16:675e:2280:93a1 443]
...
E: The repository 'https://updates.signal.org/desktop/apt bionic Release' does not have a Release file.
...

Expected result:

If there were a release for Ubuntu 18.04, apt update would report no errors

Platform info

Operating System:

Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic

Workaround

This page says to hard code the release to xenial (Ubuntu 16.04) which appears to work for me as a workaround.

[tribut]

The distribution name should probably just be changed to something generic, such as stable to prevent confusion.

[aunwin]

Had the same problem and on investigation of
/etc/apt/sources.list.d/signal-xenial.list I found that is was commented out with the note
# disabled on upgrade to bionic.

However I than tried to update it via the GUI Ubuntu Software Center and was surprised to find that the Software Center offered me to 'install' Signal. I did so and ended up with two Clients (v1.15.3 and v1.11.0) now running in parallel on my Ubuntu 18.04.1.

I wish I would have received a warning that my signal client is no longer auto updating with system updates.

[scottnonnenberg-signal]

@aunwin Can you tell me more about that v1.11.0 package you installed? What kind of package was that? snap?

[tribut]

@aunwin Note that the package stopping auto-updates after a dist-upgrade is a duplicate of #1730.
@scottnonnenberg-signal The currently available snap available in Ubuntu Software is v1.15.3. The v1.11.0 was probably the apt version which stopped updating due to #1730.

[aunwin]

I used to have a lower Ubuntu version and installed the Signal client back then via apt. It stopped updating after the dist-upgrade mentioned in #1730 as @tribut described correctly.

[scroom]

Same problem after upgrade to 18.10

[anoxi]

Still using the "xenial" Release Workaround in Ubuntu 19.10.

[icolwell]

Just installed xenial release on bionic, works fine but I agree with @tribut that it should just be stable or something like everything else.

[3ter]

Just installed xenial release on bionic, works fine but I agree with @tribut that it should just be stable or something like everything else.

Pleeease rename it. It makes people like me wary of using the official repo and fall back to canonical's snap repo (which probably isn't that bad... but still, you promote a different installation method).