BERJAYA

Back In Time 2.0.0 Release Candidate 1
by c.buhtz＠posteo.jp Aug. 12, 2026

Aug. 12, 2026

Hello, this is the first release candidate for **Back In Time 2.0.0**. It is one of the largest updates in the project's history. It includes a major refactoring of the configuration management, a complete rewrite of the mount subsystem, replaces EncFS with Gocryptfs for encrypted profiles, and removes several deprecated features. Although extensive testing has been performed, this is still a **release candidate**. We encourage users to [test it](https://github.com/bit-team/backintime/blob/dev/PLAY_WITH_BIT.md) and report your tests even if you haven't found any regressions. Tests without regressions are also an important information to the project and its release process! !WARNING: Do not test this release with your regular configuration. Version 2.0.0 migrates the configuration and the changes might not be backward compatible. EncFS profiles are also removed. Once a configuration has been opened with 2.0.0, it may no longer work correctly with older Back In Time releases. Please test in a virtual machine or with a separate configuration using the `--config` command-line option. Full release notes: <https://github.com/bit-team/backintime/releases/tag/v2.0.0-rc1> Changelog: <https://github.com/bit-team/backintime/blob/dev/CHANGES> Please think about if you can share this announcement somewhere in your channels and your community. I the upcoming weeks I'll try to step back a bit from the project and waiting for incoming test reports. Best regards, Christian Buhtz

1 0

Back In Time 2.0: Major changes complete, ready for community testing
by c.buhtz＠posteo.jp July 26, 2026

July 26, 2026

Hello, Most of the major work for Back In Time 2.0 is now complete and available in the `dev` branch. No further large architectural changes are expected before the release. This makes it a good time for broader testing. Version 2.0 introduces substantial internal changes, including a completely rewritten mount infrastructure, the replacement of the configuration management system, the removal of EncFS support in favor of gocryptfs, CLI cleanup, and various refactorings. Although these changes are primarily internal, they benefit from testing in different real-world environments. Testing across different distributions, filesystems, desktop environments, and backup setups will help identify remaining issues before the release. A detailed overview of the changes is available in the changelog: <https://github.com/bit-team/backintime/blob/dev/CHANGELOG.md> If you would like to test the `dev` branch, please see this issue and docu for concrete test scenarios and areas where feedback is especially valuable: - <https://github.com/bit-team/backintime/blob/dev/PLAY_WITH_BIT.md> - <https://github.com/bit-team/backintime/issues/2498> - <https://github.com/bit-team/backintime/issues/2539> Best regards, Christian

1 0

Request Arch-related test: Cron warning
by c.buhtz＠posteo.jp July 20, 2026

July 20, 2026

Hello folks, might someone be able to setup a fresh Arch Linux in a VM and test this? BIT should give somehow a warning about missing cron or crontab. Arch installs cron, but do not enable it is a service. BIT shouuld be able to detect this situation. But I am not sure anymore and also did not documented it in the PR/Commit [1] if I tested it. Thanks, Christian https://fosstodon.org/@backintime [1] -- <https://github.com/bit-team/backintime/commit/6d77e319cd9c15f54dd60acc7879b…>

1 1

Rsync has vibecoded commits
by otyugh＠gmail.com July 5, 2026

July 5, 2026

Hey, I'm trying with some friend to avoid the tool we can avoid to use "ai slope". We heard the rsync did that, for instance : https://github.com/RsyncProject/rsync/pull/903 I was wondering if your project should, considering the long term, think about using some rsyn fork like openrsync https://github.com/kristapsdz/openrsync or https://github.com/gokrazy/rsync ? (I may be talking big, I don't know nor the quality of the code here, and what it would imply)

2 2

Maintainer donations and possible addition to README and Help menu
by c.buhtz＠posteo.jp June 23, 2026

June 23, 2026

Hello everyone, I would like to bring up a topic for discussion and collect some feedback from the projects community before making any changes. Because this mailing list has not so many members I consider to re-post this message also at my own Mastodon account [1] pointing to the projects account [2]. For other projects I maintain, I usually have a note in their README about donations pointing to my personal accounts (currently Liberapay / Ko-fi). I have avoided doing this in Back In Time so far, mainly because I am not the original author. And I am unsure wether this would be appropriate. However, I am considering adding a small, non-intrusive donation section to Back In Time as well. This would be placed in two locations: - README.md (example [3] [4]) - the application Help menu The note would point to the donation section of my Codeberg "about-me" page at [5]. Details and the intended usage is also described there. An important point, also described there, is that donations would explicitly go to me as a person, not to the project itself. The project obviously benefits indirectly, but I do not route donations into separate project funds or structures. The reason is that the current "amount of money" does not justify such structures. There won't be banners, popups, “donate now” messages in the UI, or any promotional content on the mailing list or mastodon. Only a simple informational note in existing documentation/help. Before doing anything, I would like to hear your opinions and any concerns about this. Best, Christian Buhtz [1] https://fosstodon.org/@buhtz [2] https://fosstodon.org/@backintime [3] https://codeberg.org/buhtz/hyperorg [4] https://codeberg.org/buhtz/spdx2debian [5] https://codeberg.org/buhtz/about-me#donations

3 3

Next try to contact Germar
by c.buhtz＠posteo.jp June 9, 2026

June 9, 2026

Hello, just for information. Today I tried again to contact the former maintainer Germar on his regular email address. The mayor problem is that he is the only one "Owner" of the "bit-team". I am not able to manage several things, e.g. add other owners as backup, blocking AI-slop accounts to the project, manage TravisCI stuff, much more... Finally forking is technical an option, but won't solve all problems. And I also don't want to go this path. Keep you informed Christian Buhtz

1 0

New mount subsystem is ready to test
by c.buhtz＠posteo.jp June 3, 2026

June 3, 2026

Hey folks, the new mount subsystem is ready for further testing. It is not yet merged into the "dev" branch but is living in its own Pull Request on branch "feat/sshgocryptfs". Detailed installation and testing instructions can be found in this comment in the PR itself: <https://github.com/bit-team/backintime/pull/2449#issuecomment-4534635028> ☢️ CAUTION: Don't use your regular setup. Use a VM or at least a separate configuration via the "--config" switch. This PR affects 77 files, adds 3,708, and removes 5,135 lines Please also consider to repost the news on Mastodon: <https://fosstodon.org/@backintime/116635499945145372> Thanks in advance, Christian Buhtz

2 1

How do you think about UX tests?
by Marcus Rohrmoser May 8, 2026

May 8, 2026

there may be support from https://nlnet.nl/NGI0/services/#uxtesting, I could evtl. organise it. But surely only if the community wants it.. /Marcus

2 3

Status Update and Next Steps
by c.buhtz＠posteo.jp May 6, 2026

May 6, 2026

Hello everyone, The latest release of Canonical Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (Resolute Raccoon) is an opportunity to give a short overview of the current state of Back In Time and what is coming next. Current Status ============== - Latest release: 1.6.1 - Available in latest Debian GNU/Linux (stable, "Trixie", 13) - Available in latest Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (universe repository) - EncFS: - Deprecated and effectively disabled - Existing profiles still accessible - Will be removed completely in the next release Next Release ============ - Planned as 2.0.0 [7] - New mount subsystem (rewritten from scratch) to provide maintainable gocryptfs support [14] - Removal of EncFS [8] - Fixes for rsync change detection and permission handling; may slip to another version if not sufficient in time [10] - My goal is to release this as soon as possible to introduce breaking changes most far long before a new Debian release, to give Back In Time the time to evolve and stabilize. Other big ToDo's and Long-Term Ideas for later Releases ======================================================= - New configuration management code [11] - Configuration file in TOML format [12] - Internal refactoring across multiple layers, improving maintainability, testability and test coverage - Several GUI improvements - Integrate "Snapshots dialog" features into main window and remove the dialog itself - Improve "Manage profiles" dialog - etc Project and infrastructure topics ================================= - Migration to Python build system (PEP 517/621) [13] - Moving from Microsoft GitHub to Codeberg.org - Debian maintenance situation remains unresolved. Practically its status is "orphaned" (Debian meaning for "not maintained"). - Lost contact to former upstream maintainer Germar despite multiple attempts - Handling of low-quality ("AI slop") contributions remains an issue - Code reviews are missing. In most cases there is no second pair of eyes when merge my code. - There is also a lack of manual tests. Additional Notes ================ Thank you --------- I need to express my gratitude to Fabio Fantoni and Danel Echeverry stepping in for the original "Debian maintainer" Jonathan Wiltshier ("jwm") and packaging Back In Time for Debian. Also a big Thank You goes to Skia about approving an Ubuntu Freeze Exception and upload the latest BIT version to Ubuntu's universe repository [4], after we missed their Freeze deadline. Contribution quality and AI slop -------------------------------- This is one of my very personal tasks in this project. It is an ongoing topic with no easy solution. As maintainer I grow suspicious to every unknown account (first-time contributor) not saying "Hello", having to much bling bling icons on their profile page or coming from one of the countries producing millions of AI-using-college-students. I am watching myself and don't like what I see. I want to assume the best efforts in all contributors from the very first beginning, no matter their account age, skill level, or culture. But "AI" and the marketing behind it poisoned that social contract. But fact is, that not a small amount of the first time contributions are "AI slop" and/or of extreme low quality. The tool is not the problem but contributors not taking the responsibility for "their" code. That contributions would require significant review effort just to decided if it is AI or not. And this is even before starting the review itself. Because I am not willing to invest sucht efforts and to keep maintenance sustainable, I tend to close such PR's early. I also report that accounts to Microsoft's abuse team. But I am only a human being, not perfect also sometimes not in the perfect mood. So it comes that sometimes I false-close and miss the best efforts of a first-time contributor. Improving this process without discouraging legitimate contributors is an open task. Other projects I am involved with and occupied by ------------------------------------------------- I need to be careful to stay focused and not lose myself in too many things at the same time. Currently, besides Back In Time, I am working on several other projects: - I reactivated my old RSS reader project "Feedybus" [1] - My "Hyperorg" project need some attention because someone wants to package it for Debian [2]. - Because ongoing resource issues on the side of Debian Maintainers, I created a helper tool for them, named "spdx2debian", to ease their burden with managing copyright and license information [3]. Thank you for reading that far. I am always interested in your feedback. A second opinion or a second pair of eyes is also a valuable contribution. Best wishes, Christian Buhtz [1] https://codeberg.org/buhtz/Feedybus [2] https://codeberg.org/buhtz/hyperorg [3] https://codeberg.org/buhtz/spdx2debian [4] https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/backintime/+bug/2142983 [5] https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/backintime [6] https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/backintime [7] https://github.com/bit-team/backintime/milestone/36 [8] https://github.com/bit-team/backintime/issues/1734 [10] https://github.com/bit-team/backintime/issues/2388 [11] https://github.com/bit-team/backintime/pull/1850 [12] https://github.com/bit-team/backintime/issues/1984 [13] https://github.com/bit-team/backintime/issues/1575 [14] https://github.com/bit-team/backintime/pull/2449

2 1

Scheduling broken in 1.6.1 ?
by c.buhtz＠posteo.jp March 23, 2026

March 23, 2026

Hello, if you are using Back In time 1.6.1 please check if your scheduled profiles are running as expected. Maybe 1.6.0 users, too. Let me know if this is not the case. Best would be to open an issue for the report. Regards, Christian

1 0

Bit-dev