# QIIME 2 2017.11 release is now live!
**URL:** https://forum.qiime2.org/t/qiime-2-2017-11-release-is-now-live/2029
**Category:** Announcements
**Tags:** release
**Created:** [November 30, 2017, 5:59pm UTC](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/qiime-2-2017-11-release-is-now-live/2029 "2017-11-30T17:59:14Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@q2d2](https://forum.qiime2.org/u/q2d2)
#### Post date: [November 30, 2017, 5:59pm UTC](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/qiime-2-2017-11-release-is-now-live/2029/1 "2017-11-30T17:59:14Z")
The QIIME 2 2017.11 release is now live! There are lots of exciting new changes packed into this release that are described below. Through the end of 2017 we will have **monthly releases**. We highly recommend staying up-to-date with the latest releases to get access to new features, bug fixes, documentation, etc. We will only provide user support for the latest monthly release of QIIME 2 as these monthly releases continue through the end of 2017.
**QIIME 2 will succeed [QIIME 1](http://qiime.org/) on January 1, 2018.** QIIME 1 will no longer be officially supported at that time, as development and support effort for QIIME will be focused entirely on QIIME 2. Existing QIIME 1 users are strongly encouraged to **transition from QIIME 1 to QIIME 2 now** as QIIME 1 support will end in one month! 📅
Check out the [QIIME 2 2017.11 docs](https://docs.qiime2.org/2017.11/) for details on installing the latest QIIME 2 release, as well as tutorials and other resources. Get in touch on the [QIIME 2 forum](https://forum.qiime2.org) if you run into any issues!
We will provide official `conda` builds on release day for native QIIME 2 installations. **Virtual machine builds such as AWS and Docker will be released within the following week.** We will post a follow-up announcement here when those builds become available.
* * *
Here's the highlights of the release:
- [QIIME 2 Framework](https://github.com/qiime2/qiime2)
- The `Choices` predicate used on `Str` primitive types will now raise an error if it is given an empty set. Thanks [@patthehat033](https://github.com/patthehat033)!
- [docs](https://docs.qiime2.org/2017.11/)
- Added help text on how to identify valid `metric` values in the longitudinal tutorial.
- Clarified how to receive support and report bugs in the "Community" section of the docs.
- Removed link to old "Planned Plugins" spreadsheet. The best place to learn about new plugins is here, on the QIIME 2 Forum!
- Fixed a bug in the feature-classifier tutorial: an incorrect value was suggested for the `trunc-len` parameter in one of the commands.
- Trained new classifiers with `sklearn 0.19.1`.
- Added tutorials for the new `evaluate-composition` and `evaluate-seqs` actions in the [`q2-quality-control` tutorials page](https://docs.qiime2.org/2017.11/tutorials/quality-control/).
- Added tutorials describing new features in [`q2-longitudinal`](https://docs.qiime2.org/2017.11/tutorials/longitudinal/), including spaghetti plots and measuring baseline differences/distances.
- q2-longitudinal tutorial: provided more information on using `q2-metadata` to view valid `metric` values in artifact inputs, on interpreting `linear-mixed-effects` results, and fixed an inaccurate description of the z-scores provided in LME results.
- [q2-vsearch](https://docs.qiime2.org/2017.11/plugins/available/vsearch/)
- A new method `join-pairs` has been added to join paired end sequence reads using `vsearch`'s `merge_pairs` command. See the [paired end reads community tutorial](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/analyzing-paired-end-reads-in-qiime-2/2021) for more details.
- Perform open-reference OTU picking using [`cluster-features-open-reference`](https://docs.qiime2.org/2017.11/plugins/available/vsearch/cluster-features-open-reference/).
- `dereplicate-sequences` now supports using joined sequences (`SampleData[JoinedSequencesWithQuality]`) and `SampleData[SequencesWithQuality]`.
- [q2-demux](https://docs.qiime2.org/2017.11/plugins/available/demux/)
- Support `SampleData[JoinedSequencesWithQuality]` as input data for the `summarize` visualizer. See the [paired end reads community tutorial](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/analyzing-paired-end-reads-in-qiime-2/2021) for more details.
- Added a new transformer: `EMPPairedEndDirFmt -> BarcodeSequenceFastqIterator`.
- [q2-quality-filter](https://docs.qiime2.org/2017.11/plugins/available/quality-filter/)
- Added a new method: `q-score-joined`, which is similar to `q-score`, but for joined reads. See the [paired end reads community tutorial](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/analyzing-paired-end-reads-in-qiime-2/2021) for more details.
- [q2-deblur](https://docs.qiime2.org/2017.11/plugins/available/deblur/)
- Joined sequences can now be processed in `deblur`. See the [paired end reads community tutorial](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/analyzing-paired-end-reads-in-qiime-2/2021) for more details.
- [q2-quality-control](https://docs.qiime2.org/2017.11/plugins/available/quality-control/)
- Added new actions: `evaluate-seqs` and `evaluate-composition`! These actions are described in [the tutorials](https://docs.qiime2.org/2017.11/tutorials/quality-control/).
- [q2-longitudinal](https://docs.qiime2.org/2017.11/plugins/available/longitudinal/)
- `linear-mixed-effects` now shows the table at the top of the visualization.
- Exposed random slope and intercept values in `linear-mixed-effects`.
- `first-differences` and `first-distances` now accept a `baseline` parameter which allows comparison against a value in the provided `state-column` instead of the previous state.
- The `volatility` method can now overlay [spaghetti plots](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaghetti_plot) in its visualization with a new `spaghetti` parameter.
- [q2-types](https://docs.qiime2.org/2017.11/plugins/available/types/)
- Added new importable type `SampleData[JoinedSequencesWithQuality]` for representing demultiplexed paired end sequence data that has already been joined. See the [paired end reads community tutorial](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/analyzing-paired-end-reads-in-qiime-2/2021) for more details.
- `QIIME1DemuxFormat` now supports empty files.
- Added a new transformer: `SingleLanePerSampleSingleEndFastqDirFmt -> QIIME1DemuxDirFmt`.
- [q2cli](https://docs.qiime2.org/2017.11/interfaces/q2cli/)
- Updated file path validation, resulting in clearer error messages of file path-related errors for users of `q2cli`!
- [q2studio](https://docs.qiime2.org/2017.11/interfaces/q2studio/)
- Now displays a prominent warning that it is a prototype and that some features may not work as well as its CLI counterpart (q2cli).
- [q2-gneiss](https://docs.qiime2.org/2017.11/plugins/available/gneiss/)
- Fixed a bug related to recent versions of `pandas`.
- [q2-feature-classifier](https://docs.qiime2.org/2017.11/plugins/available/feature-classifier/)
- Bumped the minimum version of `sklearn` to `0.19.1`.
Happy QIIME-ing! 🌞
---
### Author:  [@q2d2](https://forum.qiime2.org/u/q2d2)
#### Post date: [November 30, 2017, 8:57pm UTC](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/qiime-2-2017-11-release-is-now-live/2029/3 "2017-11-30T20:57:53Z")
The QIIME 2 Virtual Machines are now available! We have QIIME 2 2017.11 available on AWS, Docker, and VirtualBox, please [see the docs](https://docs.qiime2.org/2017.11/install/virtual/) for more information. Thanks! 🎉