- Replaced Boolean-pointer-helper functions with the `k8s.io/utils/ptr` implementations. ([#132794](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/132794), [@PatrickLaabs](https://github.com/PatrickLaabs)) [SIG API Machinery, Auth, CLI, Node and Testing]

* add goroutine to move unschedulable pods to activeq if they are not retried for more than 1 minute ([#72558](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/72558), [@denkensk](https://github.com/denkensk))

- The deprecated taints `node.alpha.kubernetes.io/notReady` and `node.alpha.kubernetes.io/unreachable` are no longer supported or adjusted. These uses should be replaced with `node.kubernetes.io/not-ready` and `node.kubernetes.io/unreachable`
 ([#73001](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/73001), [@shivnagarajan](https://github.com/shivnagarajan))

### kubectl

#### New Commands
- `apply set-last-applied` *updates the applied-applied-configuration annotation* ([#41694](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/41694), [@shiywang](https://github.com/shiywang))
- `kubectl apply view-last-applied` *viewing the last configuration file applied* ([#41146](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/41146), [@shiywang](https://github.com/shiywang))

- Removed the following deprecated metrics:
  - node_collector_evictions_number replaced by node_collector_evictions_total
  - scheduler_e2e_scheduling_duration_seconds replaced by scheduler_scheduling_attempt_duration_seconds ([#115209](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/115209), [@dgrisonnet](https://github.com/dgrisonnet))

<code>min</code> or <code>max</code> applied to constant arguments,
<code>unsafe.Sizeof</code> applied to <a href="#Package_unsafe">certain values</a>,
<code>cap</code> or <code>len</code> applied to
<a href="#Length_and_capacity">some expressions</a>,
<code>real</code> and <code>imag</code> applied to a complex constant
and <code>complex</code> applied to numeric constants.

- `kubectl apply --server-dry-run` is deprecated and replaced with --dry-run=server ([#87580](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/87580), [@julianvmodesto](https://github.com/julianvmodesto)) [SIG CLI]

#### add-ons:

* fixes a panic applying json patches containing out of bounds operations ([#64355](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/64355), [@liggitt](https://github.com/liggitt))
* Fixed NoTaintMaster to remove master taint and keep all other applied taints.  ([#64986](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/64986), [@ashleyschuett](https://github.com/ashleyschuett))

  - `GCERegionalPersistentDisk`

## Metrics Changes

### Added metrics

- The metric `kube_proxy_sync_proxy_rules_last_timestamp_seconds` is now available, indicating the last time that kube-proxy successfully applied proxying rules. ([#74027](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/74027), [@squeed](https://github.com/squeed))

- Some apiserver metrics were changed, as follows.
  - `priority_level_seat_count_samples` is replaced with `priority_level_seat_utilization`, which samples every nanosecond rather than every millisecond; the old metric conveyed utilization despite its name.
  - `priority_level_seat_count_watermarks` is removed.