Kestrel Explorer

apt repository for Ubuntu 26.04, Ubuntu 24.04 and Linux Mint 22 (amd64). Source: github.com/RegulusArms/kes-c

Each Ubuntu release has a package built for it, against its own Qt and libraries, in a suite of its own. Use the commands for your system. Not sure which you have? grep UBUNTU_CODENAME /etc/os-release prints resolute or noble (Linux Mint prints the Ubuntu release it's based on). Other releases have no package yet; build from source there.

Ubuntu 26.04

sudo install -d -m 755 /etc/apt/keyrings
sudo curl -fsSLo /etc/apt/keyrings/kestrel.asc https://regulusarms.github.io/kes-c/kestrel.asc
sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/kestrel.sources >/dev/null <<'EOF'
Types: deb
URIs: https://regulusarms.github.io/kes-c
Suites: resolute
Components: main
Signed-By: /etc/apt/keyrings/kestrel.asc
EOF
sudo apt update && sudo apt install kestrel-explorer

Ubuntu 24.04 and Linux Mint 22

sudo install -d -m 755 /etc/apt/keyrings
sudo curl -fsSLo /etc/apt/keyrings/kestrel.asc https://regulusarms.github.io/kes-c/kestrel.asc
sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/kestrel.sources >/dev/null <<'EOF'
Types: deb
URIs: https://regulusarms.github.io/kes-c
Suites: noble
Components: main
Signed-By: /etc/apt/keyrings/kestrel.asc
EOF
sudo apt update && sudo apt install kestrel-explorer

Then run kes, or open Kestrel Explorer from the app menu. Ubuntu's flavours (Kubuntu, Xubuntu…) use the commands of the Ubuntu release they're based on.

Development builds

For the latest build of the DEV branch instead, use Suites: resolute-dev (Ubuntu 26.04) or Suites: noble-dev (Ubuntu 24.04, Linux Mint 22) in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/kestrel.sources, then sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade.

Suites

Set up before the release suites?

If your kestrel.sources says Suites: stable or Suites: dev, you get the Ubuntu 24.04 package whatever your system, and updates stop on a release when Kestrel stops supporting it. Switch to your release's suite; for example, on Ubuntu 26.04 from stable:

sudo sed -i 's/^Suites: .*/Suites: resolute/' /etc/apt/sources.list.d/kestrel.sources
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

(resolute-dev if you were on dev; noble or noble-dev on Ubuntu 24.04 and Linux Mint 22.) On 26.04 the 26.04 package replaces the 24.04 one at once.

When a release is no longer supported

Its suites keep the last version that installs there and get no more builds, so Kestrel keeps working; this page and the changelog say so. After upgrading your system to a newer Ubuntu release, change Suites: to the new release's: its package sorts higher, so apt upgrade moves you to it.

Downloading a .deb by hand

Each GitHub release has one .deb per Ubuntu release: on Ubuntu 26.04 take the one ending in ~ubuntu26.04_amd64.deb, on Ubuntu 24.04 and Linux Mint 22 the one ending in ~ubuntu24.04_amd64.deb, and install it with sudo apt install ./kestrel-explorer_…_amd64.deb. The 24.04 one also installs on 26.04, so take care to pick yours. A .deb installed by hand doesn't update itself; the apt repository does.

Remove

sudo apt remove kestrel-explorer
sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/kestrel.sources /etc/apt/keyrings/kestrel.asc

Signing key fingerprint: 40F0 256B 4398 2A85 B2B6 A469 925D ACC8 216A 421F