Dear Volumionaouts,
Volumio 3 is based on Debian Buster. Buster reached end of life on June 30, 2024. No more security patches. No more upstream fixes. Done.
Volumio 3 runs Node.js 14. Node.js 14 reached end of life on April 30, 2023. That is over 18 months of no security updates, no bug fixes, no maintenance. The JavaScript ecosystem explicitly refuses to support runtimes abandoned by their maintainers. Dependencies rot. Libraries stop publishing compatible versions. Security holes remain open permanently.
New hardware requires new drivers. New drivers land in new kernels. Volumio 4 runs kernel 6.12. Volumio 3 runs something from the Buster era and stopped at kernel 6.6. That Raspberry Pi 5 you might buy next year? Not on V3. That new DAC with updated codec support? Not on V3. That display, WiFi adapter, or SBC released after 2023? Probably not on V3.
Bluetooth on Buster uses BlueZ 5.50 with PulseAudio. Bookworm uses BlueZ 5.83 with direct ALSA path - lower latency, cleaner signal chain, no middleware overhead. Modern codec support follows modern BlueZ.
Community plugins are already migrating to the Bookworm repository. V3 plugin development has stopped. Existing V3 plugins will not receive fixes for issues caused by external service changes - as Hung_The correctly noted with YouTube. No new plugins for for V3, simply put time and effort wasted.
If your hardware is old, your music is local, your network is isolated, and you accept no future updates, no security fixes, no new codec support, and no Bluetooth improvements - V3 continues to function. This is not an endorsement. This is a statement of fact.
Some people prefer steam engines. That is a valid personal choice. Just do not expect new rail lines to accommodate them, new fuel depots to stock their coal, or modern signaling systems to recognize their presence.
Regarding “sluggishness” - that claim requires evidence. Boot timings. NAS benchmark comparisons. Logs. Without data, it is perception, not measurement.
Kind Regards,