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Changelog

All notable changes to Deucalion are listed here. The format follows Keep a Changelog, and versions follow Semantic Versioning.

Unreleased

Added

  • A roadmap for versions 0.3 to 1.0: other Linux distributions, automatic backups, Docker and virtual machines, macOS and Windows, with every step, its tests and its progress. Its technical background is in Portability. The README has a short version.

0.2.1 - 2026-10-12

Found while following the new documentation step by step on Ubuntu 24.04 and 26.04.

Fixed

  • The app's Unlock dialog works again. It failed to open, so an encrypted drive couldn't be unlocked from the app (only with deucalion open).
  • Drive names with spaces (such as "Alex Backup") work everywhere: deucalion open without arguments now finds an encrypted backup on such a drive (the first step of a rebuild), deucalion close unmounts it, and the copy of Deucalion on its normal part is refreshed after backups.
  • deucalion register <drive> --default keeps how to unlock an encrypted drive (it was lost, so Deucalion then treated the drive as unencrypted).
  • Rebuild: PPAs added on Ubuntu 24.04 and newer keep their signing key. Before, the restored PPA was refused by apt ("… is not signed").
  • Ubuntu 22.04: the app needs Ubuntu 24.04 or newer (libadwaita 1.5). On older versions it now says so and points to the command line, which works on 22.04, instead of crashing; the installer adds the app menu entry only where the app can run. The documentation said 22.04 for both.

Added

  • A documentation website, with step-by-step tutorials for the app and the command line, real screenshots and real command output.
  • Deucalion is now free software under the GNU General Public License, version 3 or later. The license is shown in the app's About window and copied with Deucalion onto backup drives.
  • The app's screenshot mode was extended for the documentation.
  • Continuous integration: the tests run on Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04, and on a real exFAT volume, for every change.
  • Contribution guidelines, a code of conduct, a security policy, and issue and pull request templates.

Changed

  • The copy of Deucalion on backup drives (Deucalion-Tool) and ./install.sh no longer copy the docs/ folder, which now holds the website and its screenshots.

0.2.0 - 2026-10-10

Fixed

From a third independent review:

  • Ubuntu mirrors are recognised only by the archive's layout (a path ending in /ubuntu with -updates/-security suites, or the archive key); Wine, ROS, MongoDB, Microsoft and similar repositories are offered again during a rebuild.
  • Restored apt sources keep their original names and never overwrite anything; the system's own source files are refused.
  • The administrator helper ignores Ctrl+C, so apt/dpkg and /etc writes are never cut off; its temporary /etc file is removed on failure.
  • No endless loops when _removed or the undo folder is a file or a broken link.
  • VeraCrypt installs require a good signature (GOODSIG), reject revoked or expired keys, and require a minimum version.
  • Restoring over a folder that became a link restores its files.
  • macOS/Windows clutter on the drive is left alone; leftovers are logged by path.
  • Files to be replaced are marked for re-copy in one transaction (fast on USB drives).
  • install.sh refreshes an outdated system helper automatically.

From a real-data test (about 700,000 files, 49 GB):

  • exFAT drives are formatted with 8 KB clusters: with the 128 KB default, 36 GB of real files filled an 80 GB drive.
  • The space check counts whole clusters per file and new folders.
  • A drive that fills up while writing the manifest, the run history or backup.json ends with the normal "drive is full" message; the manifest stays intact.

Added

  • Documentation: how Deucalion protects your data, and how it was tested.

0.1.0 - 2026-10-10

The first version, built in five milestones and a safety campaign.

Added

  • Backup, restore, verify (command line). A scan-plan-copy engine with a SQLite manifest on the drive (permissions, owners, links, original names, checksums); exFAT-safe names; a single mirror where changed and deleted files move to _removed/; partial backups, profiles, exclusions and extra folders; restores with a preview and an undo folder, also to a new user name; verify (sizes or checksums); low memory for millions of files; safety checks (registered drives only, never the system disk, another machine's backup, space, one task at a time, safe Ctrl+C).
  • System recipe and rebuild (command line). Every full backup saves the system recipe: apt packages (also from downloaded .deb files), repositories and keys, snaps, flatpaks, desktop settings, GNOME extensions, crontabs, services, groups, software in /opt and /usr/local, changed /etc files, network connections. deucalion rebuild replays it in eight resumable steps with --dry-run and --step. An administrator helper with a fixed, checked list of operations.
  • Drive setup and encryption. deucalion setup-drive: whole-drive encryption, encrypted part + normal part, encrypted folder, plain exFAT, or as it is; VeraCrypt or LUKS. Drives are prepared through UDisks without administrator rights where possible. deucalion open and close. A READ-ME and a copy of Deucalion on the drive's normal part.
  • The app (GTK 4 + libadwaita). Overview, Back Up, Restore, Rebuild, Drives (with a setup wizard), Removed Files and Settings; adapts to narrow windows.
  • Installer. install.sh installs for the current user, with --system-helper (a root-owned helper and a clear password prompt) and --uninstall; deucalion deps checks and installs what is needed, including a signature-checked VeraCrypt.
  • Safety campaign. Detection of edits that keep size and date; restores that rename (never copy and delete) and put the original back on failure; rebuilds that keep everything they replace, never remove packages, never change Ubuntu's own sources, and are repeatable; a randomized torture test; manual administrator and VeraCrypt checks; a full rebuild of a fresh Ubuntu 26.04 VM from a 24.04 backup.