Install/Remove Button Disabled when Offline

[David]

Steps to reproduce:
1. Disconnect from the internet
2. Try to install a deb package using software-center
3. Try to remove an installed application

Expected, as neither of these require internet connection
2. You can click install on the details page of the DEB and it gets installed
3. You can remove the application, and it gets removed

What happens
2. Install button is disabled, can't install deb
3. Remove button is disabled, can't remove

[David (nqk)]

It's Ubuntu 11.10.

[Michael Lazarev (milaz)]

David, you commented in Bug #856506, and I'm sure you are suffering from the same bug as me.
The reason is that they don't look for actual connection but rather use what NetworkManager tells them.

[Michael Lazarev (milaz)]

By the way, there's a workaround by using File -> Install menu.
Software center developers did not disable it by (fortunate) oversight.

Sadly, this workaround does not work for Add-ons section in detailed view of the program.
See, for example, Emacs or GIMP for the idea of what I'm talking about.
Without consent of NetworkManager, the checkboxes will just be disabled there.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Damian Yerrick (tepples)]

Would it be worth fixing this and Bug #584687 at the same time by making the button say "Install Later" instead of graying it out?

[Gary Lasker (gary-lasker)]

Hi David, we are tracking this issue over at bug 911706, so I will mark this one as a duplicate of that one. Please follow that report for the status of a fix for this one. Many thanks for your help!