Deprecation error for apt-key

I use Grub Customizer (see: Updating the GRUB2 boot menu) to simply the grub boot menu on my dual-boot system. The software installed and ran correctly on a new installation of Linux Mint 21 (Vanessa); however, subsequent running of Update Manager produced the message: “An error occurred… Key is stored in legacy trusted.gpg keyring (/etc/apt/trusted.gpg)”. The problem is effectively that the apt-key key manager has been deprecated and a further notation indicates to consult the documentation for apt-key(8) for details.

Many web postings suggest that the fix is to locate the problematic key in the legacy apt-key and convert it to a .gpg file. However this process requires the use of an apt-key export command and the documentation for apt-key(8) states: “…Use of apt-key is deprecated, except for the use of apt-key del…” This deprecation appears to have been implemented in Mint 21 as the apt-key export command fails.

Fortunately, a second method is suggested by Joey Sneddon in a posting on omg!ubuntu! which copies the existing keyring (trusted.gpg) to a new folder (trusted.gpg.d) using the commands:

cd /etc/apt
sudo cp trusted.gpg trusted.gpg.d

And, sure enough, executing these two commands eliminates the error message in Update Manager. So, thanks Joey!

References:

Updating the GRUB2 boot menu
https://linuxnorth.wordpress.com/2020/01/12/updating-the-grub2-boot-menu/

Grub Customizer
https://launchpad.net/grub-customizer

Linux Mint 21 “Vanessa” Cinnamon – BETA Release
https://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=4344

How to Fix ‘apt-key’ Deprecation Warning on Ubuntu
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2022/06/fix-apt-key-deprecation-error-on-ubuntu

Multiple installed kernels in Linux Mint

I noticed that a recent update was taking a long time to complete so I looked the details and found multiple instances of items such as update intramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-5.4.0-92-generic being processed. These are evidently related to installed kernels but, since they are clearly old versions, why are they being processed and so stalling completion of the update process?

New Life for 32-bit Machines

Are you running a 32-bit computer? Do you have Linux Mint, perhaps Version 19.3 (Tricia), installed? Linux Mint Version 19.3 is a long-term support version; however, the package will reach end-of-life status in April, 2023.

Opening Local HTML Files in Opera under Android 11

I use a local HTML file to provide a menu of my most-used web sites as a multi-column table. The trick with Android is discovering how to open such a local file in the browser since the solution seems to be a moving target. Previously, Android 6 required having file permissions set appropriately. Now, for some uses in Android 11, the local file has to be located in a very specific folder.

Asus T100 Transformer – Back in (the Linux) Business!

It’s been more than six years since I gave up trying to run Linux on the T100 after bricking the computer (see Asus T100 Transformer – A Cautionary Tale). Since then the T100 has been using Windows, updated to Windows 10, exclusively. However, the recent announcement that most older computers will not be able to be upgraded to Windows 11 has me thinking of going completely Windows free. And, since the T100 is the only one of my machines that isn’t currently dual booted, I thought I would check the current state of the Linux nation for this device. Dual-booting the T100 would be the final, interim step in potentially moving my operations completely to Linux.

Happy 30th Birthday!

Today marks the 30th anniversary of the introduction of Linux by Linus Torvalds.

References:

Happy 30th Birthday, Linux!
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2021/08/happy-30th-birthday-linux

Rooting LineageOS 17.1 with Magisk

One of the side effects of switching to LineageOS 17.1 is that a different method for rooting the phone is required. The OS stores its updates at \data\lineageos_updates in the root directory. Since each update is of the order of 0.5 GB, these will eventually take up all of the available free space on the internal storage of the Moto G3. However, the amount of free space can be managed by deleting old updates or moving these onto the micro-SDcard. But, the file cleanup can only take place if the user has root access.

Tracking down more Android storage space hogs

Even after cleaning out the app_webview/BrowserMetrics’ folder in my K-9 E-mail client (see: Tracking down Android storage space hogs), I found that the free space on my phone once again dropped precipitously to about 300 MB. Consequently, I decided to dig a little deeper into just what BrowserMetrics was all about.

Tracking down Android storage space hogs

When you (try to) download an app from Google’s Play Store and nothing seems to happen, there is probably a notification on the lock screen indicating that there is insufficient space to perform the operation. This can also be a problem when trying to update apps. On my phone, even quite small updates, say 20 MB, can fail if there is less than 500 MB of free space available! But, then the trick is to find what is hogging all the available storage.

Google phone app not displaying incoming calls

I had a very frustrating experience when waiting for an important phone call. The phone rang, but there was no pop-up to enable me to accept (or decline) the call. Having “missed” the call, I had to dial-out to return the call and make the required connection.