# Release 20.09 ("Nightingale", 2020.10/27) {#sec-release-20.09}
Support is planned until the end of June 2021, handing over to 21.05. (Plans [ have shifted](https://github.com/NixOS/rfcs/blob/master/rfcs/0080-nixos-release-schedule.md#core-changes) by two months since release of 20.09.)
## Highlights {#sec-release-20.09-highlights}
In addition to 7349 new, 14442 updated, and 8181 removed packages, this release has the following highlights:
- Core version changes:
- gcc: 9.2.0 -\> 9.3.0
- glibc: 2.30 -\> 2.31
- linux: still defaults to 5.4.x, all supported kernels available
- mesa: 19.3.5 -\> 20.1.7
- Desktop Environments:
- plasma5: 5.17.5 -\> 5.18.5
- kdeApplications: 19.12.3 -\> 20.08.1
- gnome3: 3.34 -\> 3.36, see its [release notes](https://help.gnome.org/misc/release-notes/3.36/)
- cinnamon: added at 4.6
- NixOS now distributes an official [GNOME ISO](https://nixos.org/download.html#nixos-iso)
- Programming Languages and Frameworks:
- Agda ecosystem was heavily reworked (see more details below)
- PHP now defaults to PHP 7.4, updated from 7.3
- PHP 7.2 is no longer supported due to upstream not supporting this version for the entire lifecycle of the 20.09 release
- Python 3 now defaults to Python 3.8 instead of 3.7
- Python 3.5 reached its upstream EOL at the end of September 2020: it has been removed from the list of available packages
- Databases and Service Monitoring:
- MariaDB has been updated to 10.4, MariaDB Galera to 26.4. Please read the related upgrade instructions under [backwards incompatibilities](#sec-release-20.09-incompatibilities) before upgrading.
- Zabbix now defaults to 5.0, updated from 4.4. Please read related sections under [backwards compatibilities](#sec-release-20.09-incompatibilities) before upgrading.
- Major module changes:
- Quickly configure a complete, private, self-hosted video conferencing solution with the new Jitsi Meet module.
- Two new options, [authorizedKeysCommand](options.html#opt-services.openssh.authorizedKeysCommand) and [authorizedKeysCommandUser](options.html#opt-services.openssh.authorizedKeysCommandUser), have been added to the `openssh` module. If you have `AuthorizedKeysCommand` in your [services.openssh.extraConfig](options.html#opt-services.openssh.extraConfig) you should make use of these new options instead.
- There is a new module for Podman (`virtualisation.podman`), a drop-in replacement for the Docker command line.
- The new `virtualisation.containers` module manages configuration shared by the CRI-O and Podman modules.
- Declarative Docker containers are renamed from `docker-containers` to `virtualisation.oci-containers.containers`. This is to make it possible to use `podman` instead of `docker`.
- The new option [documentation.man.generateCaches](options.html#opt-documentation.man.generateCaches) has been added to automatically generate the `man-db` caches, which are needed by utilities like `whatis` and `apropos`. The caches are generated during the build of the NixOS configuration: since this can be expensive when a large number of packages are installed, the feature is disabled by default.
- `services.postfix.sslCACert` was replaced by `services.postfix.tlsTrustedAuthorities` which now defaults to system certificate authorities.
- The various documented workarounds to use steam have been converted to a module. `programs.steam.enable` enables steam, controller support and the workarounds.
- Support for built-in LCDs in various pieces of Logitech hardware (keyboards and USB speakers). `hardware.logitech.lcd.enable` enables support for all hardware supported by the [g15daemon project](https://sourceforge.net/projects/g15daemon/).
- The GRUB module gained support for basic password protection, which allows to restrict non-default entries in the boot menu to one or more users. The users and passwords are defined via the option `boot.loader.grub.users`. Note: Password support is only available in GRUB version 2.