I would like to be able to selectively exclude-with-a-warning some packages from automatic update as I choose, and to have the update process remember those choices from one update instance to the next:
Chrome browser: Version a.b.c will be installed Firefox: Version d.e.f will be installed Kernel g.h.i is available (automatic update disabled by user) Libre Office j.k.l will be installed ... If I know that, for instance, a kernel update will break a wifi dongle driver or NVIDIA driver, either I must not use automatic updates at all and I must remember which packages I don't want to update and manually exclude those packages every time OR I must have enough time to repair what will break (and may update less often as a result). Now I understand the potential for dependency issues if selective disabling of updates is possible, but that's okay, that's Linux. Provide a warning about dependencies if that's detected and leave it up to the user to decide. On 12/27/20 1:01 AM, M. Zhou wrote: > Hi folks, > > I don't quite understand the meaning of automatic upgrades on a rolling > system such as Debian/Sid. According to my own experience, such > automatic upgrades could be dangerous. > > Recently package ppp is pending for upgrade but it does not co-exist > with my currently installed network-manager. Today when I was shutting > down my machine, Gnome automatically checked the "install updates ..." > box for me before I realized its existence. As a result, the system > reboots and installed ppp by force, removing network-manager and break > my system for daily use as I need network-manager for wifi-access. > > I've been a daily Sid user for at least 4 years. Automatic upgrades are > to blame for nearly all my system troubles. And I feel very > disappointed every time linux behaves like M$ windows. > > So, do we have a consensus on whether automatic upgrades should be > enabled by default? >