Bad info in Help file re updating

[George Bourrie]

I tried to use the Synaptic Package Manager but it was not obvious how to do an update. When I checked the Help, it gave the following directions:
1) Reload Package Information and
2) Mark all possible upgrades:
    * Click on Mark all Upgrades in the toolbar.
    * Choose Edit▸ Mark all Upgrades from the menu.
    * Press the key combination Ctrl+G.
The "Mark all Upgrades" choice does not appear in the toolbar, nor under Edit. Ctrl+G seems to be ignored.

When I contacted Linux Mint, Mr. Lefebvre replied:
"It was removed in Linux Mint. Some updates are considered risky. Linux
Mint applies a safety level (from 1 to 5) to each package update and by
default you're only recommended to upgrade updates with a level from 1
to 3. The Update Manager (the lock icon on the bottom right hand corner
of your screen) is aware of these levels, Synaptic isn't.
Experienced users looking for a quick way to upgrade "everything" can do
so using the command line. We wanted to remove the graphical feature in
Synaptic to prevent novice users from breaking their system."

This is understandable, but the Help file should reflect the fact that Synaptic Manager is no longer functional and that using the Update Manager is the way to accomplish updates.

[Nikhil Sinha (nikhildotnet)]

"Mark All Upgrades" should be present in synaptic and should not be removed. It is present in Ubuntu 10.04.
mintupdate - many times doesn't work well and has it own problems and bugs.
"Synaptic" is far stable than "mintupdate".

[George Bourrie (bourrie)]

Nikhil Sinha,
Thank you for responding to my bug report and for the explanation.

George Bourrie
<email address hidden>

> "Mark All Upgrades" should be present in synaptic and should not be removed. It is
> present in Ubuntu 10.04.
> mintupdate - many times doesn't work well and has it own problems and bugs.
> "Synaptic" is far stable than "mintupdate".
>
> --
> Bad info in Help file re updating
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/567539
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>
> Status in The Linux Mint Distribution: Confirmed
>
> Bug description:
> I tried to use the Synaptic Package Manager but it was not obvious how to do an update.
> When I checked the Help, it gave the following directions:
> 1) Reload Package Information and
> 2) Mark all possible upgrades:
> * Click on Mark all Upgrades in the toolbar.
> * Choose Edit&#9656; Mark all Upgrades from the menu.
> * Press the key combination Ctrl+G.
> The "Mark all Upgrades" choice does not appear in the toolbar, nor under Edit. Ctrl+G
> seems to be ignored.
>
> When I contacted Linux Mint, Mr. Lefebvre replied:
> "It was removed in Linux Mint. Some updates are considered risky. Linux
> Mint applies a safety level (from 1 to 5) to each package update and by
> default you're only recommended to upgrade updates with a level from 1
> to 3. The Update Manager (the lock icon on the bottom right hand corner
> of your screen) is aware of these levels, Synaptic isn't.
> Experienced users looking for a quick way to upgrade "everything" can do
> so using the command line. We wanted to remove the graphical feature in
> Synaptic to prevent novice users from breaking their system."
>
> This is understandable, but the Help file should reflect the fact that Synaptic Manager
> is no longer functional and that using the Update Manager is the way to accomplish
> updates.
>
> To unsubscribe from this bug, go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/linuxmint/+bug/567539/+subscribe
>
>