bsp: drop /etc/apt/preferences.d/armbian — desktop pin moves to armbian-config

[igorpecovnik]

Summary

The pin block in packages/bsp/common/etc/apt/preferences.d/armbian (firefox / firefox-esr / thunderbird at o=Armbian priority 1001, o=Ubuntu priority 50) is moving to armbian-config, where it will be written to /etc/apt/preferences.d/armbian-desktops on every module_desktops install — see armbian/configng#850.

Why move it

The BSP file is a dpkg conffile. From May 2023 → Feb 2026 it shipped fully commented-out (commit bc5329e — "It should not be needed anymore since we re-pack those packages"). When commit f169f2c2 re-enabled it in Feb 2026, dpkg's conffile preservation rule meant existing systems kept the commented version — the new active pin only landed on freshly-installed systems. We just hit this on a real test box where thunderbird installed as snap because the local pin was inert.

By moving ownership to armbian-config and writing to a distinct path (armbian-desktops instead of armbian), dpkg conffile preservation becomes moot. The runtime helper rewrites the file on every desktop install, so the pin is always current.

Why this is safe to delete from BSP now

• The build framework installs desktops via module_desktops install going forward, so the pin lands at image build time too — no gap.
• Existing systems that already have /etc/apt/preferences.d/armbian keep it as an orphan conffile. Its priorities match what armbian-config now writes to armbian-desktops, so they compose harmoniously — no conflict, no double-pinning.
• The legacy file can be cleaned up later by a BSP postrm if desired, but doesn't need active removal — it does no harm.

Stack

This PR's effect is fully realized only after armbian/configng#850 lands. If the build framework still does its own desktop install path on some boards, those would temporarily get no pin (snap-shim could win) until configng's runtime helper takes over.

Test plan

• After armbian/configng#850 lands, build a fresh noble desktop image and confirm /etc/apt/preferences.d/armbian is absent and /etc/apt/preferences.d/armbian-desktops is present with the broader pin block (chromium / firefox / thunderbird / chrome / code / edge)
• apt-cache policy thunderbird shows Armbian = 1001, Ubuntu = 50
• No regression on existing systems that still have the legacy file (priorities match, no dpkg conflict)

Summary by CodeRabbit

• Chores
  • Removed APT repository pinning configuration that restricted package source selection, allowing more flexible resolution of package dependencies.

[coderabbitai]

No actionable comments were generated in the recent review. 🎉

ℹ️ Recent review info

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: Path: .coderabbit.yaml

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

Run ID: 5395c2f0-bc6a-4ee3-b144-63980abe78bb

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 43751f1 and 032777b.

📒 Files selected for processing (1)

• packages/bsp/common/etc/apt/preferences.d/armbian

💤 Files with no reviewable changes (1)

• packages/bsp/common/etc/apt/preferences.d/armbian

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📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

A single APT pinning configuration file was deleted that previously enforced Firefox, Firefox-ESR, and Thunderbird packages to be sourced from the Armbian repository while deprioritizing Ubuntu versions, thereby removing the repository preference constraints.

Changes

Cohort / File(s)	Summary
APT Preferences Configuration packages/bsp/common/etc/apt/preferences.d/armbian	Deleted 13 lines of APT pinning rules that prioritized Armbian repository packages over Ubuntu repository packages for Firefox, Firefox-ESR, and Thunderbird.

Estimated code review effort

🎯 1 (Trivial) | ⏱️ ~2 minutes

Poem

🐰 Hop, hop—a preference file goes away!
No more forcing Armbian's sway,
Firefox and friends now roam free,
To Ubuntu they flee,
Repository choice saves the day! 🎉

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 3

✅ Passed checks (3 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Description Check	✅ Passed	Check skipped - CodeRabbit’s high-level summary is enabled.
Title check	✅ Passed	The title accurately describes the main change: removing the APT preferences file from BSP and noting that the functionality moves to armbian-config, which aligns with the changeset removing /etc/apt/preferences.d/armbian.
Docstring Coverage	✅ Passed	No functions found in the changed files to evaluate docstring coverage. Skipping docstring coverage check.

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✨ Finishing Touches

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests
• Commit unit tests in branch drop-bsp-desktop-apt-pin

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