backend_helper.py wants update-manager

[Brian Murray]

backend_helper.py uses update-manager to show updates:

# show updates
def show_updates():
    """ show updates using update-manager """
    cmd = ["update-manager", "--no-update"]
    res = subprocess.call(cmd)
    return (res == 0)

However, backend_helper.py is shipped as a part of update-notifier-common and update-notifier-common does not depend on update-manager.

Package: update-notifier-common
Priority: optional
Section: gnome
Installed-Size: 2051
Maintainer: Michael Vogt <email address hidden>
Architecture: all
Source: update-notifier
Version: 0.134
Replaces: update-notifier (<< 0.75.1)
Depends: python, python-apt (>= 0.6.12), python-debian, debconf, patch
Pre-Depends: dpkg (>= 1.15.7.2)
Recommends: libpam-modules (>= 1.0.1-9ubuntu3)

So then we get crashes like - https://errors.ubuntu.com/problem/4bb20e02d1c3f2227f167b56a7e7792a016700c9

[Brian Murray (brian-murray)]

backend_helper.py is only called with show_updates by the tray applet which should be going away in Saucy.

From src/update.c:

// command, description, desktopfile, needs_pkexec
const char* actions[][4] = {
   { "/usr/lib/update-notifier/backend_helper.py show_updates",
     N_("Show updates"),
     "/usr/share/applications/update-manager.desktop",
     GINT_TO_POINTER(FALSE) },