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Zeppe-Lin v1.2 — Release Notes

Released 09 January 2026. 5th Zeppe-Lin Release.

Artwork for v1.2 — Ghosts in the Rig

1 Introduction

Ghosts in the Rig.

v1.2 is a sanitization and structural maintenance release. Following the toolchain alignment introduced in v1.1, this cycle focused on system hygiene: formalizing the logging stack, migrating manual pages to scdoc, correcting ABI drifts across the pkgsrc collections, and tightening package sources.

The goal remains unchanged: a transparent and predictable system where nothing stays hidden. Complexity is a tax; this release lowers it through structural correction.

Ghosts remain in the wiring, but the rig is ready.

2 Upgrade & Compatibility

Breaking changes affect upgrades only; fresh installations are unaffected.

2.1 OpenSSL 3.5.4 ABI Bump

OpenSSL is now at version 3.5.4. This is an ABI change.

All package sources in the official collections have been relbumped against the new version. Locally compiled or third-party binaries built against v1.1 will no longer link and must be rebuilt after upgrade.

2.2 rc File Ownership Changes

The rc package now owns /var/log/dmesg and installs standard logrotate configuration file.

During upgrade, pkgadd(8) may refuse to overwrite existing files due ownership changes. In this case, update the package forcibly:

# as root
pkgman update -f rc

This resolves the conflict and installs the new layout.

2.3 Cron Execution Model

Scheduled job execution has been standardized on run-parts. The legacy runjobs script from dcron has been removed (see GH #3).

Install the required tools:

# as root
pkgman install --deps --group run-parts run-one

System cron entries have been updated accordingly. Custom scripts under /etc/cron/* must be executable and compatible with run-parts. Scripts relying on runjobs should be adjusted.

Updated system configuration files will be merged via rejmerge.

2.4 Log Rotation

Log rotation is now handled by logrotate. Configuration files are installed under /etc/logrotate.d.

The legacy rotatelog script previously provided by sysklogd has been removed (see GH #4). Log archival behaviour is unchanged: rotated logs are stored under /var/log/old, just compressed.

Daily rotation jobs are scheduled via dcron.

Run rejmerge after completing the system upgrade to apply the updated configuration.

2.5 Binary Upgrade Option

For maintainers who prefer the path of least resistance, binary packages (binpkgs) are provided. These are pre-built archives of the entire pkgsrc-core collection, providing a direct binary path to the v1.2 state without local compilation.

Using binary packages avoids local rebuilds but does not remove the need to merge updated configuration files.

After installation, run rejmerge to complete the upgrade.

Binary packages are a statistical convenience. They reduce variance, but they do not collapse uncertainty. Errors remain entangled with your system, waiting for observation. To build is to measure; to rebuild is to alter the wavefunction. Statistically speaking, you will fail — and in failing, you will learn.

3 What’s New

3.0.1 Infrastructure

The project website has its official domain:
https://zeppe-lin.org/.

The website was redesigned, serving documentation and project materials.

3.0.2 Documentation

Manual pages have been migrated to scdoc. Coverage across Zeppe-Lin tools has been expanded and normalized.

3.0.3 Highlights

Logging standardized using logrotate.

Cron execution is unified under run-parts, with run-one introduced for simpler job control.

New utility packages have been imported to support these changes, including run-parts, run-one, and popt.

The Handbook has been updated to reflect the new cron execution model.

3.0.4 Package changes

3.0.4.1 pkgsrc-core

3.0.4.2 pkgsrc-system

popt was promoted to core to support the new logging primitives.

3.0.4.3 pkgsrc-xorg

3.0.4.4 pkgsrc-desktop

3.0.5 System components

3.0.5.1 Kernel

3.0.5.2 Toolchain

3.0.5.3 X11

4 Changelogs

5 Downloads

Consult the Handbook before downloading. Ensure hardware support and familiarity with the installation process.

5.1 Root Filesystem

5.2 Binary Packages

Binary packages are the shortcut path described under
Upgrade & Compatibility.

5.3 Extras

6 Release Artwork

Ghosts in the rig. Fire in the code. The storm? Our engine.