GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 783490
Reduce restarts needed when applying updates and install them directly on shutdown
Last modified: 2018-01-24 17:36:18 UTC
Especially when using dm-crypt/LUKS for encrypting your system, installing updates through GNOME Software is a pain, because of the many restarts, which always involve typing your password. So let's assume you press the button "Install [updates] & restart" or choose the checkbox in the shutdown/restart menu and choose to restart your system. This is what happens: 1. Shutdown. 2. Restart. Ask for password. 3. Install updates. 4. Second shutdown. 5. Restart. Ask for password. 6. System is up. These are two restarts, which is one too much. Why not install the updates already in the shutdown procedure in step 1? There, also all applications should be closed, so nothing bad™ happens. This is especially useful when you look what happens, when you decide to install updates "on shutdown" and go away from your computer during this time assuming it will shutdown automatically. 1. Shutdown. 2. Restart. Ask for password. [As no user is here, this may wait endlessly… Luckily computers do not care for this and do not retaliate against this…] 3. Install updates. 4. Shutdown. Now, if you are clever, you can force a power-off of the device after step 1, so that updates are installed when starting the system the next time. Basically what I'd like too see is this: 1. Shutdown. […either install updates here…] If shutdown: 2. Power-off. If restart: 2. Restart. 3. Boot. Ask for password. […or install updates here…] So in words: Either install updates in the final stages of shutdown or in the initial stages of booting. (Maybe in shutdown it would be better as this can run when there is no user present.) (Why?) This: * saves one reboot * allows a more intuitive behaviour allowing me to shutdown a device and go away, without finding it "staying alive" when coming back
(Side note: If you are a more technical user, you can simply use whatever command line tool you distribution offers to install updates, and reboot or shutdown whenever you like, if entering a password twice is too much?)
Sure, but this issue is about less technical users… ;) Also, IMHO, the "update on shutdown/restart system" in general is quite nice (and the reasons for a more fail-safe approach are logical), but it can be improved as you see in this issue.
I also agree, second restart isn't necessary, rather a bit irritating to regular user. Also I would like to add a little more to this feature, how about differentiating between the updates based on whether restart is needed or not. For example firefox or gnome-calculator update doesn't require a restart, on the other hand gnome-shell, gdm, systemd or kernels require a restart. After differentiating, if none of them require restart, do not restart. Saves one more restart for the user.
AFAIK this differentiation is already done. When only GUI applications are updated, no restart is requested. However, when this cannot be clearly differentiated or when other tools (like CLI tools) require updates, a restart is requested. I think as you mostly find some kinds of these tools in every update each week, you rarely see an update without restart. In any way one could of course change this behaviour, but I think this is a different issue.
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