Bugfixes

• Fix reuse of externals on Linux (#44316)
• Ensure parent gcc-runtime version >= child (#44834, #44870)
• Ensure the latest gcc-runtime is rpath'ed when multiple exist among link deps (#44219)
• Improve version detection of glibc (#44154)
• Improve heuristics for solver (#44893, #44976, #45023)
• Make strong preferences override reuse (#44373)
• Reduce verbosity when C compiler is missing (#44182)
• Make missing ccache executable an error when required (#44740)
• Make every environment view containing python a venv (#44382)
• Fix external detection for compilers with os but no target (#44156)
• Fix version optimization for roots (#44272)
• Handle common implementations of pagination of tags in OCI build caches (#43136)
• Apply fetched patches to develop specs (#44950)
• Avoid Windows wrappers for filesystem utilities on non-Windows (#44126)
• Fix issue with long filenames in build caches on Windows (#43851)
• Fix formatting issue in spack audit (#45045)
• CI fixes (#44582, #43965, #43967, #44279, #44213)

Package updates

• Require libiconv for iconv (#44335, #45026). Notice that glibc/musl also provide iconv, but are not guaranteed to be complete. Set packages:iconv:require:[glibc] to restore the old behavior.
• protobuf: fix 3.4:3.21 patch checksum (#44443)
• protobuf: update hash for patch needed when="@3.4:3.21" (#44210)
• git: bump v2.39 to 2.45; deprecate unsafe versions (#44248)
• gcc: use -rpath {rpath_dir} not -rpath={rpath dir} (#44315)
• Remove mesa18 and libosmesa (#44264)
• Enforce consistency of gl providers (#44307)
• py-matplotlib: qualify when to do a post install (#44191)
• rust: fix v1.78.0 instructions (#44127)
• suite-sparse: improve setting of the libs property (#44214)
• netlib-lapack: provide blas and lapack together (#44981)