Bug: version 2.4.x AppImage can only be run in Ubuntu 24.04. Missing GLIBC_2.38

[knightcraw]

Is there an existing issue for this?

• I have searched the existing issues

Current Behavior

$ ./sw-v2.4.1-linux.AppImage
./stack_wallet: /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6: version GLIBC_2.38' not found (required by ./stack_wallet) ./stack_wallet: /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6: version GLIBC_2.38' not found (required by /tmp/.mount_sw-v2.emFnBH/lib/libjsoncpp.so.1)
./stack_wallet: /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libstdc++.so.6: version GLIBCXX_3.4.32' not found (required by /tmp/.mount_sw-v2.emFnBH/lib/libdesktop_drop_plugin.so) ./stack_wallet: /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6: version GLIBC_2.38' not found (required by /tmp/.mount_sw-v2.emFnBH/lib/libflutter_secure_storage_linux_plugin.so)

Expected Behavior

Stack Wallet runs without issue.

Reproduce Steps

Run AppImage app in any OS other than Ubuntu 24.04

Environment

• Operating system and version: Ubuntu 22.04.5
• Device platform and version:
• Real device or emulator/simulator:

Logs

No response

Further Information

AppImage has reduce by 100MB for version 2.4.x. GLIBC_2.38 is still new and not available for most of current Linux distributions. Not include them in AppImage seems to defeat the purpose of running AppImage.

[justanwar]

Also having this issue on PopOS 22.04

[sysfu]

While troubleshooting an issue I reported with AppImage Launcher interoperability with the 2.4.2 release, I believe I've run into the same problem on PureOS 11

I fed this issue into venice.ai and it gave this response:

My previous analysis was based on the general meaning of the error message, but the context from that issue confirms that in the case of Stack Wallet, the This doesn't look like a squashfs image error is a known, misleading symptom of a glibc version incompatibility.

The Real Problem: glibc Version Mismatch

Here’s what's happening:

1. The AppImage is Newer Than Your System: The Stack Wallet AppImage was compiled on a system with a newer version of the GNU C Library (glibc) than the one installed on your Linux distribution.
2. Dynamic Linking Failure: When you try to run the AppImage, its embedded launcher or runtime attempts to start. This launcher is a dynamically linked executable that depends on glibc. Your system's older glibc cannot provide a symbol or feature that the launcher expects, so it fails to launch before it can even get to the part where it checks for the SquashFS image.
3. Misleading Error Message: Because the launcher process exits immediately and abnormally, the AppImage's fallback logic or error handling kicks in and incorrectly reports that the SquashFS image is missing or invalid. It's a classic case of one failure (glibc) masking the true error.

The GitHub issue you linked confirms this exact behavior for Stack Wallet, where users on older distributions like Debian 11 (Bullseye) encounter this error because its glibc is too old for the latest AppImage builds.

How to Fix the glibc Problem

Since you can't easily upgrade glibc on your system (it's a core library that would break everything), you need to run the application in an environment that has a newer glibc. Here are your best options, from easiest to most complex.

Option 1: Use a Different Version of Stack Wallet (Easiest)
Option 2: Use a Flatpak (Recommended)
Option 3: Use Docker or Podman
Option 4: Upgrade Your Linux Distribution