Microsoft Relents, Will Support VS Code On Ubuntu 18.04 For One More Year

Last week Microsoft's Visual Studio Code editor suddenly stopped supporting Ubuntu 18.04 LTS.

But now Microsoft "has announced a temporary reprieve for developers who use VS Code to connect to servers, clouds, container, and other devices running on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS," according to the blog OMG Ubuntu: Microsoft [had] pushed out an update to VS Code that bumps its glibc requirement, dropping support for Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (which uses an older version of glibc) in the process. Innocuous though it sounds, that move had a huge impact, leaving thousands of developers who use VS Code unable to connect to/work with devices running Ubuntu 18.04 LTS or other Linux distros using glibc 2.27, including RHEL 7, CentOS 7, and Amazon Linux 2.

— "Screwed" was the term many of those affected used!

Well, good news: Microsoft says it plans to release a 'recovery' update for VS Code soon. This will restore the ability for developers to use the text editor's remote dev tools to connect to/work with machines running Ubuntu 18.04 LTS and other, older Linux distros.

But only for the next 12 months.
"We hope this will provide the needed time for you and your companies to migrate to newer Linux distributions," Microsoft's senior product manager for VS Code posted on GitHub. He added that the software will "show the appropriate dialog and banner that you are connecting to an OS that is not supported by VS Code." (The updated was released on Thursday.)

He also thanked developers for their feedback and "for sharing your passion for VS Code and sharing how it is being used to enable various scenarios."

Thanks to Slashdot reader motang for sharing the article.

What is the reason for old glibc?

[gnasher719]

I just looked and it seems the current Ubuntu version is 23.03. That looks like someone complaining that an app doesnâ(TM)t run on iOS 9. Is this 18.04 version very popular for some reason? Any reason why people donâ(TM)t upgrade to a newer Ubuntu?

Re:

[Q-Hack!]

One of the early reasons for switching to Linux was the fact that M$ continually forced upgrades on people. Linux allowed people to continue to utilize older hardware without all the bloat. It seems to be less of an issue as of late. Probably because what we now consider to be older hardware can still run the newest software.

Re:

[thegarbz]

That's revisionist, unless you think early was 2015. No back when people were switching to Linux MS wasn't forcing any updates. In fact they didn't have an update system at all.

In any case the use of Linux for old hardware was about backwards compatibility for hardware, the current supported software running on old iron. That isn't the issue at play here. The issue here is people running outdated software, not because their hardware is unsupported (Ubuntu 20.04 didn't depreciate anything compared to 18.04),

Re:

[Q-Hack!]

Oof.... OK, tell me I am old without actually telling me I am old.

I switched over to Linux full time back in 2004. Have been playing with it since 1995. I was referring to the constant upgrades that came in disk form. Yes, people really did switch over to Linux for the very reason that we were tired of Microsofts constant upgrades. It was the nickel and dime effect for those of us on a limited budget. Don't get me wrong, They were making great innovative leaps in computing back then. But purchasing a

Re:

[thegarbz]

Sorry I still heavily disagree. Post Windows 95 I don't know a single person who upgraded Windows. They upgraded their computer and that new computer typically involved installing a new version of Windows. That changed with the release of Windows Vista, I do know a few people who were desperate to get that hunk of shit of their system. I even had a work colleague come to me and sheepishly say "I bought a new copy of Windows today, BUT BUT BUT Before you judge, it was to replace my Vista machine!" :-)

Mind yo

Re:

[mprindle]

The main rub is Ubuntu supported 18.04 through April 2028 with Pro support and Microsoft decided to stop support with no notification. If VSCode is really important to a user this will now give them the tine to upgrade to a newer version. https://ubuntu.com/about/relea... [ubuntu.com]

Re:What is the reason for old glibc?

[Guspaz]

Pro support is paid extended security support. Unless you work for a company that is willing to pay for security patches for an operating system that dropped mainstream support nearly a year ago and is now twelve major releases out of date, there's not much reason to be using 18.04 still.

That said, while I don't begrudge Microsoft dropping support for it, they could still have handled the transition far better, for example by refusing to update if an incompatible version of glibc is detected.

Re:

[RedK]

Then it's a stupid rub. Pro support for 18.04 is just Security updates, not software updates.

You're lucky Microsoft relented to give you MORE than even Canonical does. I'd have just shown you the door and laughed.

Re:

[HBI]

And that's why you are you and Microsoft is Microsoft.

Re:

[Askmum]

The rub is that Microsoft pushed an update without checking the glib version and people on Ubuntu 18.04 stupid enough to install the update were screwed. I don't think the problem is that Microsoft is updating VS with new versions. But then do not update people on systems that you (have to) know are incompatible with the new version. Leave them on the old version. Yes, running an unsupported OS with unsupported software is a thing. We are not all corporate people willing (or needing) the latest version of e

Re:

[thegarbz]

The main rub is Ubuntu supported 18.04 through April 2028 with Pro support and Microsoft decided to stop support with no notification.

NO IT'S NOT. Jesus why do people insist on calling a paid for service that is doing the bare minimum of security patching "support". Ubuntu 18.04 is not supported. It's EOL for everyone except the most edge case of customer. Your own link confirms that. There is zero ZERO, NADA, NIL reason to think any feature upgrade on software would support a system that is security life support.

But hey, if you're paying Canonical for Pro support, then talk to Canonical. The whole point of this support is that *they* bac

Re:

[rahmrh]

They also broke rhel7/centos7/ol7 at the same time. And it is still security patched until July 2024.

So breaking 2 different end-of-life distributions might have been overboard.

Re:What is the reason for old glibc?

[ip_vjl]

It's not about devs updating their desktops. It's about being unable to connect to servers running 18.04 (which is still supported in ESM from Canonical) and not being warned that the update would break this connectivity.

Nobody is running 23.03 on their server. If you run Ubuntu on a server, you're sticking with the LTS releases. So, yes, there are newer LTS releases (20.04 and 22.04) to choose from, but that's missing the point of the LTS releases entirely. The whole reason you install the release with 5 years of standard (and 5 more of extended) support is so you can run it for a long time without having to deal with unexpected changes in the underlying system that could affect your applications.

I don't necessarily blame MS for dropping support. Just because Canonical pledges support for 10 years doesn't mean Microsoft has to. BUT, if you want devs using your product, you need to be aware of how they're using your product and try not to completely mess them up. Advance notice and/or a warning so that automatic updates wouldn't have broken workflow would have gone a long way.

Re:

[RedK]

The updates to VS Code aren't about connecting to servers running 18.04. It's about running VS Code itself, after version 1.85, on 18.04.

The question becomes what is the critical use case that requires VS Code > 1.85 on Ubuntu 18.04 ?

There is none. It's just ridiculous social media outrage with no actual technical merit.

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

Visual Studio Code on the desktop and its Remote Development with Linux feature both have a requirement of glibc >= 2.28. This is documented:
https://code.visualstudio.com/... [visualstudio.com]
and
https://code.visualstudio.com/... [visualstudio.com]

The concern being described in so many tech articles is that even if Visual Studio Code users' desktops meet the requirements (Windows, OSX, Ubuntu 20.04, etc.) they can no longer use the Visual Studio Code Remote Development feature to connect and work on remote Ubuntu 18.04 servers and other olde

Re:

[nadass]

I don't necessarily blame MS for dropping support. Just because Canonical pledges support for 10 years doesn't mean Microsoft has to. BUT, if you want devs using your product, you need to be aware of how they're using your product and try not to completely mess them up. Advance notice and/or a warning so that automatic updates wouldn't have broken workflow would have gone a long way.

The only IRONY of your post is how the loudest screams against MSFT is making sure that they don't/can't collect diagnostics/analytics data to quantitatively evaluate how their products are being used.

FWIW, I wholly agree with the gist of your post; MSFT should tag/fork their releases when underlying/pre-existing requirements shift as dramatically as this particular one has... which was probably driven by a security compliance effort rather than through general technical compatibility merits alone.

Re: What is the reason for old glibc?

[ToasterMonkey]

I doubt there are enough people running Ubuntu LTS on a server to matter, and honestly I doubt Microsoft is looking out for EL7 based stuff either, but if it's true they also broke remoting to Amazon Linux 2, that got someone's attention.

Re:

[tlhIngan]

The problem isn't Microsoft. It's actually a problem with node.js as the newer framework requires the newer glibc. The current release of node.js requires the newer glibc, and the only reason Microsoft VS Code, among other Electron apps still work on 18.04 is because they are currently taking the node.js source code and compiling on 18.04.

Basically they can only keep this up until sufficient changes are made that break on 18.04.

This basically happened - the node.js source code stopped compiling on 18.04 so

Re:

[OrangeTide]

First, let's pump the brakes on the bad advice. Most people should not consider updating to 23.03, that's a dead end. 23.10 is an option, but 22.04 is what is recommended right now.

Is there any convincing reason to upgrade an 18.04 system? I think the burden of proof is on the one taking the action rather than the one that is continuing to use a working OS. While official support for 18.04 has ceased, mostly meaning that packages are not going to be updated except for high priority security fixes. Ubuntu 18

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

23.03 does not exist.

LTS versions are 18.04,20.04,22.04 with 24.04 coming next.

The only supported non-LTS version is 23.10. There was a 23.04 but it was non-LTS and is not supported any more by any method, Canonical only supports LTS releases beyond 9 months.

Generally only LTS versions are used for production.

Reasons to stay on 18.04:
Some sort of certification
Some third party software which doesn't support later versions
An isolated stabled system.

Re:

[thegarbz]

To be clear the current upgrade path for 18.04 LTS is to 22.04 LTS. That is the most current version.

Re: What is the reason for old glibc?

[ToasterMonkey]

I bet the remote agent on AL2 and EL7 based systems was the actual deal breaker TBH.

You get so little practical value out of major Linux upgrades. Well, that's true of most software, and on a server even more. AL2023 isn't even that old yet. They'll be around until security updates stop coming, and then a little longer.

DLL hell still not solved

[xack]

Or .so hell in Linux's case. Surely people can take VSCodium (the de-Microsofted version of VScode) and bring it back to older Linux distros, there are still some developers making new apps for Windows 7 and XP.

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

Or .so hell in Linux's case.

There aren't any conflicting multiple versions of the same library in this case, so it's not DLL or .so hell.

Microsoft built their software to require a newer version of the same library (and didn't bother to update installation package requirements, so systems got upgraded to a software version they couldn't run).

Sublime Text or some Jetbrains

[HnT]

vs code is entirely overhyped⦠just use SublimeText or one of the awesome Jetbrains products. M$ can go get f##ed.

Re:

[OrangeTide]

I use the open source version, it's lighter weight than Jetbrains stuff, but also does less and it is harder to use. The remote development integration in VS code is quite good, almost as good as what we had in Emacs 20 years ago.

Re:

[SpinyNorman]

What support does emacs have for remote development/editing ?

At work we use Windows laptops to log into remote linux dev servers, and I'd been using emacs running on the dev server up until a few weeks ago, using X11 forwarding to MobaXerm running under windows.

Unfortunately my employer just stopped supporting MobaXTerm, or any other X11 server, so I've no switched to VS Code with the remote SSH extension, which at least as far as remote file access goes is very good. Sadly VS Code doesn't have any decent m

Re:

[jabuzz]

There are a few options for sshfs like functionality under Windows. Shame really that Microsoft doesn't add it directly to Windows. You now have an SSH client built into the OS, so being able to map a drive using SSH would be the obvious next step.
Not that I use Windows much but as a sysadmin being able to mount a filesystem arbitrarily on a remote server is a massive productivity boost.

Re: Sublime Text or some Jetbrains

[dhjdhj]

I disagree. Whatever âoeautomatic hateâ you have for Microsoft (and I get there are plenty of reasons), Visual Source Code is a damn good editor and much better (and easier with which to deal) than Sublime. Obviously thereâ(TM)s going to be a certain amount of âoereligionâ around this kind of thing.

Re:

[nashv]

Jetbrains is not free. And neither is Sublime Text. And VS Code does better than Sublime Text and maybe about 80% of the way of any Jetbrains IDE. It is VERY good and has integration with Jupyter notebooks.

Things become popular for a reason. At least in this case, where the target audience is developers (not grandma), and the thing is actively downloaded and extensions developed (not preinstalled) , you can't go through your usual bullshit.

Someday, you will understand that everyone who doesn't agree with y

Re:

[ceoyoyo]

Ah, arguing that one specific bloated app is better than another.

Just use a text editor. There's pretty much always at least one installed.

glibc, why?

[jmccue]

I do not understand this whole thing. glibc is the standard lib, why would a change break VS ? Does the glibc people change interfaces on the functions ? I doubt it, that would be dumb. What change to glibc caused Microsoft force the use of a newer version ?

At worse I should be able to link glibc to its old name and off we go with VS. I have done this in the past a few times without issues on Linux.

Anyway, this whole issue seems very odd. FWIW I never used VS, for development I am an Emacs and vim per

Re: glibc, why?

[BKX]

I just looked at the change log and it's a mile long. There are dozens of breaking changes between 2.27 and 2.28. Also, keep in mind that the current version is 2.38, so we're talking about not dealing with versions that are more than ten major versions away from current.

Re:

[F.Ultra]

There are no changes in libc that breaks VS, it is just MS that have decided to build against a more recent version of libc and that version have one or more symbols being changed leading the resulting binary to be dependent on a version of that symbol (aka function) that doesn't exist in libc found in 18.04. Normally libc is backwards compatible but if you link with a version where say printf was changed for 1.28 then it will be linked to use v1.28 as the minimum.

VS Code Updates with Extensions are Hell too

[kopecn]

Cant count the amount of disruptions from VScode updates, forcing beta-broken microsoft extensions, with backwards-forwards compatibility. The recent push for things like flake8 and black (python) to use the Microsoft extension is such a pia. Time and again, microsoft takes something working extremely well, sticking their hands into it, and screwing up the workflow for the rest of us.

Re:

[HBI]

Microsoft PGs are isolated from the world and answer to no one but themselves and their management. They don't even get along with other PGs. The end result of that is unsurprising.

Re:

[entranced]

What does PG stand for?

Acronyms... SMH

Re:

[HBI]

Here, let me Google that for you... [letmegooglethat.com]

Re:

[thegarbz]

The vast majority of breaking changes in VS Code are nothing to do with Microsoft. They are responsible for very few extensions in VS Code.

Re: VS Code Updates with Extensions are Hell too

[kopecn]

I was referring to extension like black, cmake, and flake8. They were much more reliable when they were not official Microsoft extensions. But agree the 3rd party stuff is hit or miss.

The Solution

[NicknameUnavailable]

Is for JetBrains to open source a community version of WebStorm/IntelliJ/etc and completely replace vscode, vscode is garbage.

Glibc versions

[Malc]

Linux distros using glibc 2.27, including RHEL 7, CentOS 7, and Amazon Linux 2

RHEL 7 has glibc 2.17, not 2.27. CentOS 7 is RHEL 7.

Doesnâ(TM)t Amazon Linux 2 use glibc 2.26?

Why are people still running Ubuntu 18.04 ?!

[SpinyNorman]

If you want stability then you should be running LTS (long-term support) releases, but 18.04 LTS expired in 6-2023.

You should at least be running 20.04 (expires 4-2025) or 22.04 (expires 6-2027) which at this point is already a couple of years old!

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Releas... [ubuntu.com]

Why they need this or that version?

[Uldis Segliņš]

Why should MS suddenly through their software decide what other software should run on my PC? Is there a real need for glibc to be version xyz? Or are they too concerned about the recent glibc vulnerability, so they without any reason bug people with none of MS business question?