Synaptic's Generate download script does not update package lists

[Usama Akkad]

Binary package hint: synaptic

The Generate download script in Synaptic is really useful, but if you can't get to the internet, you can't find the programs or the updates you want to Generate the download script for.

for example If some one installed Hardy for the first time and he needs to get filezilla. he started Synaptic and searched for filezilla but couldn't find any thing. so he couldn't generate download script.

So I think Synaptic is missing something vital for people without internet.

I know about the manual way to copy the package lists from another computer but that isn't a solution.

I expect to be able to update the package lists from a file like deb file, or to generate script that enables me to download the files from another computer with internet and then I should be be able to update the local lists from them.

at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/OfflineUpdateSpec it says:
"The synaptic script eases downloading packages on online machines and installing them on offline machines later. But no package lists will be updated and thus no security updates propagate to the offline machines this way."

Hardy 8.04
Synaptic 0.61

[Pedro Villavicencio (pedro)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. You reported this bug a while ago and there hasn't been any activity in it recently. We were wondering is this still an issue for you? May you please try the same with Jaunty? Thanks in advance.

[Pedro Villavicencio (pedro)]

We are closing this bug report because it lacks the information we need to investigate the problem, as described in the previous comments. Please reopen it if you can give us the missing information, and don't hesitate to submit bug reports in the future. To reopen the bug report you can click on the current status, under the Status column, and change the Status back to New. Thanks again!.

[Usama Akkad (damascene)]

this is a feature request.

generate download script should have the feature to update the software list in
/var/lib/apt/lists/
as it have the feature to upgrade the system or install new software based on the lists from this folder

sorry for not giving the information required earlier

[Pedro Villavicencio (pedro)]

Marking this as Wishlist , thanks Usama.

[Michael Vogt (mvo)]

Some code in lp:~mvo/synaptic/offline-update

[Michael Vogt (mvo)]

There the cbAddDownloadedUpdatesFiles is not implemented yet, but generating the script should work.

[Michael Vogt (mvo)]

If someone wants to add this, that should be relatively easy, the only tricky bit is to ensure that the gpg checking is done properly.

[Jodie Robinson (jodiematthewrobinson)]

Hi guys. I know this is an old bug, but I'm using Linux Mint, and ubuntu-bug doesn't work properly

I wanted to request that when saving a download script to a directory it'll inherit the owner of that folder:
When you run Synaptic, it is run as root, so when you save the script, it saves it as owner root even if you put it somewhere like the user's Desktop.

This could get irritating for someone new to Ubuntu who doesn't know how to delete files by command line.