[packagekit] Package update policy

[Robin Norwood]

"Matthias Clasen" <matthias.clasen at gmail.com> writes:

> On 9/25/07, Robin Norwood <rnorwood at redhat.com> wrote:
>> Hi,
>>
>> So how should package updates work for most users?  My feeling is that
>> most users don't care.  They just want updates.  Some users, such as the
>> risk averse, the control freaks, and those who have to (sometimes?) pay
>> for bandwidth, may want more control.
>>
>> Here's the way I think it should work, to cover most users -
>>
>> A UI that looks something like this:
>>
>> -------------------------------
>> Update my system:
>>
>>  o Daily
>>  o Weekly
>>  o Never
>>
>>  [] Ask me before updating.
>> -------------------------------
>>
>> So, assuming one of the first two options are ticked, updates are
>> checked for periodically.  If the 'ask' option is ticked, a window is
>> popped up (assuming a user is running the pk-applet) to interactively
>> install the updates.  Otherwise, the updates are downloaded and
>> installed in the background, with the state of any pk-applet showing
>> progress.
>>
>> A nice 'future enhancement' might be another checkbox that says "Apply
>> security updates only"...pending backend support, of course.
>>
>> Thoughts?  Flames?
>>
>
> Sounds right in general. But for security updates, you probably want
> to have them applied immediately

Well, I was envisioning that the 'Daily/Weekly' option would effect how
often the system even checks for updates.  If and when PK targets
security updates, I guess we would need to increase the 'checkin
frequency', apply non-security updates on the period selected, and, as
you say, apply security updates immediately, asking the user only if
the box is ticked.

-RN

-- 
Robin Norwood
Red Hat, Inc.

"The Sage does nothing, yet nothing remains undone."
-Lao Tzu, Te Tao Ching