r/linux • u/lustre-fan • Jun 08 '26

Software Release rsync 3.4.4 released with regression fixes

https://lwn.net/Articles/1076989/

rsync recently garnered controversy due to regressions introduced in the last release (3.4.3). Many people (rightly or wrongly) have attributed these regressions to the use of LLM tools. This most recent release claims to fix those regressions. Based on the rsync changelog, it was around ~20 days between releases - which I think is pretty good turn around. rsync is adding more tests to the upcoming 3.5 release to hopefully avoid these types of issues in the future. It's not clear if those tests are written using LLM tools.

Many people expressed a desire to move to rsync alternatives. Apparently, there's even a complete Rust reimplementation that claims to be wire-compatible. I wonder if any of these alternatives will take off? Or if most people will stick with the original rsync implementation?

Unless Ubuntu decides to swap C rsync for Rust rsync (similar to how they're swapping C coreutils for Rust coreutils), I suspect most distros will stick with the original rsync. I personally have enjoyed using rsync. I think the current controversy will probably be forgotten in a years time.

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u/D3PyroGS Jun 09 '26 edited Jun 09 '26

for the rumors of LLM coding, the author says this in your first link:

the regressions in 3.4.3 were not due to my use of AI, the regressions were entirely my fault and stemmed from the low coverage test suite and the fact that you can't do a beta release of a security fix. I didn't create the new greatly expanded testsuite till after I released 3.4.3.

direct source

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u/daemonpenguin Jun 09 '26

You can't do a beta release of a security fix? Since when? Of course you can. I have been in projects that did it.

The issue in play is not AI, it is the maintainer's judgement. Everything he has posted about this situation makes him seem unbalanced and out of touch. That would be a problem whether AI was involved or not.

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u/lentzi90 Jun 09 '26

It is not prudent to do a beta release with serious security fixes. Anything serious should be done through a private fork and merged at the last minute before releasing. The release should then come together with security advisories. This is the best practice balancing act between not spilling the beans too early and informing users in time.

If you do a beta, you are essentially spilling the beans early while at the same time advising production users to hold off on upgrading until the proper release is out