Update without a password

[Danielle Foré]

I'm not sure if this is an elementary OS issue or a AppCenter issue, but I feel like updates shouldn't require a password. I dunno, am I being crazy here?

[aggelalex (aggelalex-ppa)]

Taking ideas from OS X? Just kidding, anyway... :)

That's true, OS X has that feature in App Store, updating without a password.
But in Linux, things are different. Since eOS is based on Ubuntu, performing an update requires using apt. to make any changes using this tool requires root previllages (that's why it usually runs with the `sudo` prefix). Thus, one way to do this, is making the OS remember your password (in an encrypted file or whatsoever), and redirect it to sudo (`echo "mostpowerfullpasswordintheworld1234" | sudo -S apt upgrade`). However this would enable some envy hackers to just decode the file the same way the appstore does (they can se how from the source code) and steal it from you, pushing afterwards viruses to you that use sudo. Not so pleasant, is it?

In other words, such a feature would end up being a security vulnerability, which could make eOS much less secure. That's something that we don't want, is it?

#Dont_mess_with_sudo

[Zisu Andrei (matzipan)]

Storing the password would be bad, but is not even needed to implement this feature. However, I still think this would be bad for system updates. It would only work for contained applications.

[aggelalex (aggelalex-ppa)]

In Linux applications need to scatter files around the system. In other words, they are updated and stored the same way the system does. In packages named "deb packages". This means that it doesn't matter if the package is an X11 update, a kernel update, an epiphany update or an inkscape update. They all are upgrade the same way. This enables the power user to have more control over his installed apps.

In OSX however, things are different. Applications there are archived files ending with the extension ".dmg". OSX does not actually just run an executable file, it extracts the contents of the dmg file and runs the executable contained in it. This way, the user or the app store just move the dmg file in the "applications" folder, which is located in the home folder, and the app is installed. If done so, contained apps can just be upgraded by replacing the old dmg file with the new downloaded one into that directory. As simple as downloading music. Even if apps are not safe in that location, this is what enables apple's app store to upgrade simple apps without even touching sudo or root previllages.

Linux have some packages that resemble the way Apple's OS application system work. They are named "orbital apps", have an ".orb" extension and work in a similar manner that Mac OS apps do. Just download the orb executable and run it. however there are not many orbital apps out there. You can find out more things about this in this link:
https://www.orbital-apps.com/

[Zisu Andrei (matzipan)]

Hey aggelalex,

I don't know much about orbital apps, but I guess they're going to have a hard time competing with snap/flatpak.

[aggelalex (aggelalex-ppa)]

Snaps require a password to install

[Jan Koci (cicindel)]

"Since eOS is based on Ubuntu, performing an update requires using apt."

Then how come Ubuntu doesn't ask for password on updates? It only asks for password if there is a kernel update. And it's been that way for a few years now.