Ubuntu Wiki

• Created: Date(2005-08-29T20:24:16Z) by MatthewPaulThomas

• Priority: NeedsPriority

• People: NeedsLead, MatthewPaulThomasSecond

• Contributors: MatthewPaulThomas

• Interested:

• Status: BrainDump, DistroSpecification

• Branch: UbuntuTrack

• Relevant bugs:

  • [https://launchpad.net/malone/bugs/2549 Many Synaptic error messages are unhelpful]

• Packages affected: gnome-app-install, synaptic

• See also: SystemUpgradeTool, AutomaticUpgrade

• Dependents:

  FullSearch(SoftwareManager)

• BoF sessions: none yet

Summary

Rationale

In Ubuntu you can use gnome-app-install or synaptic for installing and uninstalling programs that have a .desktop file, synaptic for installing and uninstalling programs that don't, and update-manager or synaptic for installing updates.

This is comically redundant, especially since (a) gnome-app-install does not include programs that don't have a .desktop file (of which there are many), (b) gnome-app-install tells you in the initial screen to use Synaptic "for more complicated needs", (c) update-manager instructs you to run synaptic if it encounters conflicts, and (d) it's not easy to follow this advice since only one of the three tools can be run at once. Furthermore, "Synaptic" is a non-sequitur name, and gnome-app-install is misleading since it lets you install non-Gnome apps.

Developing one simple, integrated, gorgeous tool for installing and uninstalling packages and installing security updates, will let us solve all these problems at once. Merging the three previous tools should also result in more space available on the CD.

Use cases

• Helen is happily using Ubuntu 6.04, when she hears from a workmate that Ubuntu 6.10 has been released. She is interested in upgrading, as long it's free, and as long as she can first read a summary of what's new.
• Sam is a college student who has recently migrated from to Windows XP to Ubuntu because he was fed up with adult sites installing spyware on his computer. The reason he had so much trouble was that though XP kept on popping up balloons in the corner of the screen to tell him about security updates, he closed them because that was the easiest thing to do. A few weeks after he installs Ubuntu, there is an important security update to Firefox 1.6 ...

• Ladina works as a developer at a molecular biology lab where she is not a sysadmin. She is having a bit of trouble with Biopython, and wants an easy way of seeing which version of python-biopython is installed and where its files are.

• Joel wants to install Skype, but it's not in any of the Ubuntu repositories. He downloads the .deb package from skype.com, and double-clicks it.

Scope

• Screenshots of available packages?

• AutoPackage integration?

Design

Invocation

• "Update/Manage Software…" is an item in the System menu. This opens Software Manager, showing "Programs installable" by default.

• Every (week?) by default, Ubuntu checks for security updates. When updates are available, if you are an admin, Software Manager opens behind all other windows (so as not to steal focus) but requesting attention, showing "Security updates" by default.

Window layout

The Software Manager has two panes, one listing programs/packages, the other for describing the selected package. There is also a menu bar, a bar at the top containing filter/search controls, and a bar at the bottom containing summary info and an action button.

...

Menus

Braindump

• Dynamically filtered view of programs or packages:

  Show: [Programs installable    :^]    Containing: [______________]

• Menu choices are:
  • Programs installable (default when invoked manually)
  • Programs already installed
  • Packages available
  • Packages installed
  • Security updates (search field replaced by "Updates available" text)
  • All updates
  • Changes to be made
• Items in the list have iconic pull-down menus that look like menus, not checkboxes.
• Recommendations and suggestions are shown as children of an item in the list (recommendations selected by default, suggestions not).
• Multi-level undo.

Implementation

Code

Data preservation and migration

Outstanding issues

How to deal with Sam ? Sam is a hard case. How about: if there is a security update, the system complains if you try to run the vulnerable program.

• Warning There is a security flaw the installed version of Firefox, the Web Browser. You should update your system before continuing. If you do not update, you risk your computer being infected by malware.

  • Update now [ Cancel ] [ Run anyway without updating ]

Or, if there is a remotely-exploitable security flaw:

• Warning There is a security flaw in the installed version of some Ubuntu system software. The system has disabled its network connection automatically, in order to protect you and your computer. You should update your system before using the network. If you do not update, you risk your computer being infected by malware.

  • Update now [ Continue without networking ] [ Enable network without updating ]

(The `disabled network connection' would be firewall rules which would isolate the computer other than as needed to install the updates. This isn't perfect but will catch most problems.)

BoF agenda and discussion