Impossible to set up Livepatch on Ubuntu MATE

[Stuart Langridge]

In Ubuntu MATEE 18.04, in the Software Properties window (available from Software Boutique > Preferences > Show Software Sources > Manage Repositories, among other places), there is a Livepatch tab. This tab says "To use Livepatch, you need to sign in" and provides a "Sign In..." button.

This button launches an empty version of gnome-control-center with no icons in it.

If one is technically adept, it is possible to do what (I think) that button is trying to do by launching g-c-c directly in a terminal and overriding the desktop, thus:

env XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=GNOME gnome-control-center online-accounts

This online accounts window permits attempting to add an Ubuntu One account. However, when one tries, a window pops up with a place to add one's Ubuntu One username and password, but the window has no Submit button; there is no way to actually initiate sign in.

[Bill (franksmcb) (franksmcb)]

Work-around

Get Token from: https://auth.livepatch.canonical.com/

Then run these commands from the Terminal:
sudo snap install canonical-livepatch
sudo canonical-livepatch enable <TOKEN>

[Jean-Francois Labonte (grimsleepless12)]

It also happens in 20.04. The same workaround applies

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

The issue is that gnome-control-center isn't meant to be used outside of GNOME

[Stuart Langridge (sil)]

Understood that gnome-control-centre isn't meant to be used outside GNOME. However, software-properties *is* meant to be used outside GNOME, so perhaps it should detect whether it's running in GNOME and not show a button for a GNOME-only bit of software in that situation?

[Paul White (paulw2u)]

Further to comment #4, this bug report should also be extended to cover Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Xubuntu etc. which also won't include gnome-control-center in a default installation.

If anyone really needs Livepatch then the work-around, as suggested by Bill and confirmed by me, of installing Livepatch from the command line will work. In the case of Xubuntu you even get an icon in the top bar to confirm that Livepatch is enabled and running.

[Stuart Langridge (sil)]

I think the place to fix this may be in _spawn_goa_with_args in
https://git.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/software-properties/tree/softwareproperties/gtk/DialogAuth.py#n196. Perhaps that function should check for XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=GNOME and if it isn't GNOME, pop up a message window pointing to a wiki page which can then be edited by flavours to explain what to do to sign in to Ubuntu One and/or Livepatch in their desktops?