# Interface changes coming in 2024.2, and a test build of the current QIIME 2 distributions
**URL:** https://forum.qiime2.org/t/interface-changes-coming-in-2024-2-and-a-test-build-of-the-current-qiime-2-distributions/28672
**Category:** Announcements
**Tags:** release
**Created:** [December 19, 2023, 8:51pm UTC](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/interface-changes-coming-in-2024-2-and-a-test-build-of-the-current-qiime-2-distributions/28672 "2023-12-19T20:51:17Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@lizgehret](https://forum.qiime2.org/u/lizgehret)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2023, 8:51pm UTC](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/interface-changes-coming-in-2024-2-and-a-test-build-of-the-current-qiime-2-distributions/28672/1 "2023-12-19T20:51:18Z")
💥 _ **This December the QIIME 2 team opted to forego the planned 2023.11 release in favor of reducing our long queue of pull requests, and working on some new functionality.** _ 💥
For users who are interested in getting the latest changes (but can tolerate some potential instability as well as some of the _interface changes_ listed below), you can use the _Prepared Environment Files_ that will be linked below shortly. We're very interested in testing and feedback on the _Updates_ listed below, so please let us know if anything isn't working for you. **These environment files do not constitute a QIIME 2 release, and you do not need to upgrade your QIIME 2 deployment(s) at this time if you don't want to.** All of the changes in these environments will be included in the next planned QIIME 2 release, 2024.2 (scheduled for February 2024).
## ‼ Important: Upcoming interface changes in QIIME 2 2024.2 ‼
In the 2024.2 release the following interface changes will go into effect:
- All existing action parameters that configure the number of threads or cpus to be used by an action will have their names and input domains standardized. For example, `--p-num-threads`, `--p-n-jobs`, `--p-threads`, will all be renamed to a single parameter and will all share the same input domain (i.e., `--p-`). The updated parameter name and domain will be announced at the time of the release. This will support consistency in how actions are parallelized in QIIME 2.
- The `merge-pairs` method in the `q2-vsearch` plugin will output unmerged reads via the `--o-unmerged-sequences` option. Calls to `qiime vsearch merge-pairs` will now require that either `--o-unmerged-sequences` or `--output-dir` be provided.
- The `summarize` method in the `feature-table` plugin will no longer accept the `FeatureTable[RelativeFrequency]` semantic type as input. Upon review of the contents we realize that much of the information presented (e.g., summarized feature frequencies) didn't make sense (they weren't wrong, there just wasn't a meaningful interpretation).
- The `subsample` method in the `feature-table` plugin will be renamed to avoid confusion with the `rarefy` and `*-rarefaction` methods. We will report on the new name in the 2024.2 release announcements (we're still discussing options).
## Prepared Environment Files
Below you'll find links to the resolved environment files representing the most recent versions of the amplicon, shotgun, and tiny distributions.
- [Amplicon distribution] COMING SOON
- Shotgun distribution
- [MacOS](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/qiime2/distributions/dev/2024.2/shotgun/passed/qiime2-shotgun-macos-latest-conda.yml)
- [Linux](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/qiime2/distributions/dev/2024.2/shotgun/passed/qiime2-shotgun-ubuntu-latest-conda.yml)
- [Tiny distribution] COMING SOON
These can be installed by following the usual QIIME 2 install instructions, _but substituting these environment files for the ones that are typically downloaded in that process_. **Again, these environment files do not constitute a QIIME 2 release, and you do not need to upgrade your QIIME 2 deployment(s) at this time if you don't want to.**
### Updates
The following updates for the 2024.2 release are already in place, and you'll have access to these if you install QIIME 2 from the environment files linked above. These notes will be expanded on for the 2024.2 release.
- [qiime2](https://github.com/qiime2/qiime2)
- [q2-assembly](https://github.com/bokulich-lab/q2-assembly)
- [q2cli](https://github.com/qiime2/q2cli)
- [q2-cutadapt](https://github.com/qiime2/q2-cutadapt)
- [q2-demux](https://github.com/qiime2/q2-demux)
- [q2-feature-table](https://github.com/qiime2/q2-feature-table)
- [q2-moshpit](https://github.com/bokulich-lab/q2-moshpit)
- [q2-vsearch](https://github.com/qiime2/q2-vsearch)
- [q2-quality-control](https://github.com/qiime2/q2-quality-control)
## Happy 2024! 🎇
As always, thanks so much to the QIIME 2 users and developers for all you that do, in research, education, and beyond, to make the world a better place! We hope you get to relax and spend time with your loved ones over the holidays. 🤗
We're looking forward to :qiime2:'ing with you in 2024! 🎉 🎉 🎉
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### Author:  [@gregcaporaso](https://forum.qiime2.org/u/gregcaporaso)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2023, 8:58pm UTC](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/interface-changes-coming-in-2024-2-and-a-test-build-of-the-current-qiime-2-distributions/28672/2 "2023-12-19T20:58:19Z")
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### Author:  [@lizgehret](https://forum.qiime2.org/u/lizgehret)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2023, 9:09pm UTC](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/interface-changes-coming-in-2024-2-and-a-test-build-of-the-current-qiime-2-distributions/28672/3 "2023-12-19T21:09:21Z")