Old releases unlisted

GrapheneOSUser29164

Yesterday, old releases from EOL devices (Pixel 5a and lower) were removed from releases.grapheneos.org:
https://github.com/GrapheneOS/grapheneos.org/commit/88a0d0952c2d2eb7ba2ea4bccfa43df654ce090a
Just today I wanted to reinstall the latest version from 2023 on my old Pixel 4a. Before you come at me with stuff like "the device is EOL, why would you want to do that", etc. - look, I know this. All I'm using this old device for is to track my location. Nothing else. Purely because it uses quite a bit of battery. I use a supported Pixel as my main device.

So, is there any way to get the latest ZIP file, as it has been removed from releases.grapheneos.org as well. https://releases.grapheneos.org/sunfish-factory-2023100300.zip

It absolutely wouldn't hurt to host these old ZIP files on releases.grapheneos.org if there was e.g. a red banner or red text warning you that the device is unsupported. Besides that, you get a permanent notification that the device is unsupported on the device itself, so you really wouldn't be able to miss this information. And these ZIPs are only between 1 - 2 GB.

Probably9857

GrapheneOSUser29164 It absolutely wouldn't hurt to host these old ZIP files on releases.grapheneos.org if there was e.g. a red banner or red text warning you that the device is unsupported.

I don't think this is true.

Despite all the warnings, it still facilitates the use of insecure devices, which is directly contrary to the aims of the project.
It will at least marginally increase the number of support requests.

CannedSkipping

GrapheneOSUser29164
Take a look at https://web.archive.org/web/*/https://grapheneos.org/releases esp. https://web.archive.org/web/20251211230733/https://releases.grapheneos.org/sunfish-factory-2025012701.zip

Quantum

GrapheneOSUser29164 GOS devs have stated they would be removing them a long time ago. So people with older devices have just kinda been lucky for some time now.

Not sure how long youve been on the forum, but having EOL releases have been a resource burden for GOS devs/mods even without active development.

GrapheneOSUser29164

Probably9857 Despite all the warnings, it still facilitates the use of insecure devices, which is directly contrary to the aims of the project.

Are you saying that using the latest out-of-date stock is better?

Probably9857 It will at least marginally increase the number of support requests.

...which can be ignored or closed. Or better yet, there should be an additional information in the banner that the ZIP is available purely for archival purposes and that there won't be any support in the forums. This isn't an issue.

Probably9857

GrapheneOSUser29164 Are you saying that using the latest out-of-date stock is better?

I'm saying at some point there will be so many unpatched vulnerabilities that "better" is irrelevant.

Novalissoide

GrapheneOSUser29164 that using the latest out-of-date stock is better?
No, but also no.

They shouldn't be used as normal phones anymore.

indigomadelin

+1
I buy EOL Pixels, install GrapheneOS, and use them as affordable basic phones for making voice calls on Signal and occasionally using the calculator, clock, camera.

GrapheneOSUser29164

Probably9857 I'm saying at some point there will be so many unpatched vulnerabilities that "better" is irrelevant.

Novalissoide They shouldn't be used as normal phones anymore.

Both of you missed the point. I use it to track my location with disabled WiFi, no SIM card and in flight mode - nothing else. Would it therefore be better to e-waste a functional phone and buy a new one just for that? Really?

Probably9857

GrapheneOSUser29164 I use it to track my location with disabled WiFi, no SIM card and in flight mode - nothing else. Would it therefore be better to e-waste a functional phone and buy a new one just for that?

So...you want the improved security/privacy of GrapheneOS, but then you go on to explain that you don't actually need good security or privacy...

In that case, what benefits do you believe you are getting from using a very outdated version of GrapheneOS? There is LineageOS, if you just want it de-Googled...

Novalissoide

GrapheneOSUser29164 For that specific use case, any OS will probably do. But the thing is, it wouldn't be GrapheneOS if it cannot be updated any longer.

GrapheneOSUser29164

Probably9857 but then you go on to explain that you don't actually need good security....

Novalissoide For that specific use case, any OS will probably do.

Because it's about using Graphene as a whole. Why not use something where I know what I get? With LOS you have different maintainers for different devices. Maybe the release has some bugs.

We're talking about hosting an additional 20 GB, not terabytes.

I really don't see the problem. I've been a lurker for a while and this community is excellent in gatekeeping certain things.

Novalissoide

GrapheneOSUser29164 But hosting them invites user to still regard their old Pixel, 4, or 5, as running GrapheneOS when that stopped being real. No security updates-not really Graphene.

Novalissoide

GrapheneOSUser29164 If pulling the old releases gives even slightly more users obtaining supported devices, then it makes the net security higher.

Probably9857

GrapheneOSUser29164 We're talking about hosting an additional 20 GB, not terabytes.

No one ever said it was about disk space (or bandwidth, for that matter).

GrapheneOSUser29164 I've been a lurker for a while and this community is excellent in gatekeeping certain things.

This is an open discussion forum, and you have not been prevented from participating or expressing your opinions.

No one in this thread (so far) speaks for the project. We're just trying to explain what we believe is the project's reasoning. You are free to disagree with that reasoning. Just because you don't like it doesn't make it gatekeeping.

GrapheneOSUser29164

Novalissoide But hosting them invites user

I don't think you know what "invite" really means. A warning isn't an invitation. There obviously won't be any green flashy lights to guide somebody to a download link of an old version.

Besides that, these old releases were hosted for over 3 years (!) up until yesterday or a few weeks ago. Is that also "inviting" somebody to use an old version?

Things shouldn't be dumbed down so much so that people who know what they're doing get affected.

Probably9857 No one ever said it was about disk space (or bandwidth, for that matter).

I wrote that because it isn't a huge deal-breaker and not much would have to change from the infrastructure side.

Probably9857 This is an open discussion forum, and you have not been prevented from participating or expressing your opinions.

No one in this thread (so far) speaks for the project. We're just trying to explain what we believe is the project's reasoning. You are free to disagree with that reasoning. Just because you don't like it doesn't make it gatekeeping.

Fine, you're right.

Novalissoide

GrapheneOSUser29164 shouldn't be dumbed down so much so that people who know what they're doing get affected.

But they should be dumbed down sufficiently for people who don't know what they're doing not get affected, they are in greater need of precautions and guard rails. If you can't find these old releases nonetheless, you probably shouldn't mess with them at all.

GrapheneOSUser29164

Novalissoide But they should be dumbed down sufficiently for people who don't know what they're doing not get affected, they are in greater need of precautions and guard rails.

I'm fine with that.

Novalissoide If you can't find these old releases nonetheless, you probably shouldn't mess with them at all.

Correct me if I'm wrong but now you're saying I'm one of those people who don't know what they're doing. I have worked long enough in IT that I think I know a thing or two better than the average Joe, but this is getting a bit off-topic.

Novalissoide

GrapheneOSUser29164 i was not implying you at all. Sorry if I made it sound like that.

GrapheneOSUser29164

CannedSkipping
Wow, thanks, this didn't even cross my mind. I didn't know archive.org also hosted big files from websites (except those that have been uploaded manually to archive.org).

Blastoidea
It's more of a "want" than a "need". If corporations track us, why shouldn't I be able to track myself? I just like having data about myself. Also what @CannedSkipping wrote. It has come in handy multiple times.

Blastoidea

Why do you need to track your own location?

CannedSkipping

Blastoidea
NOYB?

You might need to track your location for field service work to create accurate invoices, or for time tracking to remember which work you performed for which clients and when.

Blastoidea

CannedSkipping

Thank you.

I was truly curious.