Qubes OS 4.1.1-rc1 has been released!

[Andrew David Wong]

Dear Qubes Community,

We're pleased to announce the first release candidate for Qubes 4.1.1!
This release aims to consolidate all the security patches, bug fixes,
and upstream template OS upgrades that have occurred since the initial
Qubes 4.1.0 release in February. Our goal is to provide a secure and
convenient way for users to install (or reinstall) the latest stable
Qubes release with an up-to-date ISO.

Qubes 4.1.1-rc1 is available on the downloads [1] page.


What is a release candidate?
----------------------------

A release candidate (RC) is a software build that has the potential to
become a stable release, unless significant bugs are discovered in
testing. Release candidates are intended for more advanced (or
adventurous!) users who are comfortable testing early versions of
software that are potentially buggier than stable releases. You can read
more about the Qubes OS release process in the version scheme [2]
documentation.


What is a patch release?
------------------------

The Qubes OS Project uses the semantic versioning [3] standard. Version
numbers are written as `<major>.<minor>.<patch>`. Hence, we refer to
releases that increment the third number as "patch releases." A patch
release does not designate a separate, new major or minor release of
Qubes OS. Rather, it designates its respective major or minor release
(in this case, 4.1.0) inclusive of all updates up to a certain point.
Installing Qubes 4.1.0 and fully updating it results in essentially the
same system as installing Qubes 4.1.1. You can learn more about how
Qubes release versioning works in the version scheme [2] documentation.


What's new in Qubes 4.1.1?
--------------------------

Qubes 4.1.1-rc1 includes numerous updates over the initial 4.1.0
release, in particular:

- All 4.1.0 dom0 updates to date
- Fedora 36 template (upgraded from Fedora 34)
- Linux kernel 5.15 (upgraded from 5.10)


How to test Qubes 4.1.1-rc1
---------------------------

If you're willing to test [4] this release candidate, you can help to
improve the eventual stable release by reporting any bugs you
encounter [5]. We strongly encourage experience users to join the
testing team [6]!


Release candidate planning
--------------------------

If no significant bugs are discovered in 4.1.1-rc1, we expect to
announce the stable release of 4.1.1 in two to three weeks.


[1] https://www.qubes-os.org/downloads/
[2] https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/version-scheme/
[3] https://semver.org/
[4] https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/testing/
[5] https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/issue-tracking/
[6] https://forum.qubes-os.org/t/joining-the-testing-team/5190

This announcement is also available on the Qubes website:
https://www.qubes-os.org/news/2022/06/27/qubes-4-1-1-rc1/

--
Andrew David Wong
Community Manager
The Qubes OS Project
https://www.qubes-os.org