Comment 285 for bug 332945

On Apr 29, 2009 10:10am, Matt Wheeler <email address hidden> wrote

> He doesn't teach, but that is irrelevant, and confirms my point. If even
> IT staff are ignoring updates unless they are prompted by a window
> opening, how many normal users are doing the same?

Unlike mac_v, I will not disparage your IT friend for not installing
updates immediately. Sometimes there are valid reasons not to install
updates. That updated kernel that contains a security fix for a filesystem
I don't use, may actually break my wireless card, or my scsi controller.
That new version of open office may break a plugin I'm using. It's happened
in the past. In fact, good IT people will often test updates on a test
machine before installing on their own systems. This goes for every OS, not
just Ubuntu. Remember, almost all updates include new features (potential
bugs) as well as bug fixes. Ubuntu can't test everything in your
environment, just like Apple or MS can't.

Using your logic above, would you prefer to have the entire screen gray out
and the update manager pop up and be the only thing you can do? That would
force people to update, even your IT friend... but is that a good thing?
no. If that's what you want, then you should just install all updates
automatically without asking the user. I know it's not what I want...

Perhaps it's not a good time to install updates. Like you're at a friend's
place with metered internet and don't want to run up their bill, or you're
on a cell phone connection, or you're not even on a network at the time. Or
your significant other is using your computer when the window comes up,
they close it and forget to tell you about it. Instead of having a
persistent, small icon in the corner of your screen telling you there are
updates when you're ready, you have to maximize the update manager and then
close it, and then remember to update at some other time because there's no
reminder.

See my earlier posts in this thread for use cases like the above which were
never addressed.

This change forces Ubuntu to make a lot of assumptions about my life and my
usage. It's impossible for Ubuntu to know when would be a good time for me
to update, therefore opening the update manager at
"random" intervals is annoying, nagging, confusing and counterproductive.
And that's without getting into the argument over whether auto-launching
full, interactive applications without the user requesting them is good UI
design or not.

This is not an attack on the developers who do a wonderful job. I even
understand the overall goal, although I think it's misguided. I simply
think this change is wrong and makes Ubuntu more confusing, not less, and
as someone who wants Ubuntu to be the best it can be I'd like to see it
reverted. I am concerned that there is a bit of bunker mentality with the
developers, which given some of the virtiol on this board is not completely
unexpected, and I would encourage them to reconsider.