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tacone wrote:
We should definitely consider as many update scenarios as possible in order to find the one that users will prefer. We are very quick to start implementing updates and shut down without considering something radically different because many of us have experiences updates at shutdown when using Windows. Neither solution is perfect, both have their merits, and this is the perfect place to discuss them.May I ask which merits may the Updates-at-login-time have ? It's not that Windows is perfect, but some times there's a rationale behind the choices done by it. (and, btw, I hated the way Windows tried to trick you into upgrading at shutdown) The drawbacks of updates in GDM are many: - some people auto login, they won't see anything (not big issue, but also not nice) - perceived bigger lag between power on and operability (due to the need to perform a choice) - being reminded to reboot right after having just powered on is not nice. - increased delta with Gnome and possible loss of compatibility with existing GDM themes - increases the workload startup (while the updates are being performed), in a timeframe when there's already load (as the gnome desktop is loading, and the first applications you'll launch will load). I don't think we really need to "think different" at all costs. Stefano
Tacone,People who auto-login or never restart can be handled differently. Personally, I auto-login, so I would not use this feature, but let's not think of gurus like us, who participate on Linux mailing lists, and let's think instead about the average user, who might be made uncomfortable by computers in general, and may be nervous about their first venture into Linux.
The core of the idea is, at the face browser, there is a present icon when you have updates already downloaded and ready to install. They might even be unpacked already. Beside the present is a simple description like "13 updates available, requires restart. Click to update." The user either logs in as usual, ignoring the icon (maybe it's at the bottom/corner of GDM), or clicks the present. Clicking the present prompts for a password, and then shows an elegant progress bar, installing the updates. If the updates required a restart, the machine simply restarts, and our new 10 second boot time brings the machine back up before the user even notices it's restarting. We don't have to confirm shutdown, because nobody is logged in. Then, the user logs in to her newly updated desktop.
There are drawbacks to this approach, sure, but do you honestly not see any merit? I think it delivers a much more pleasant experience than asking the user at shutdown. At GDM, the user is not in a hurry, and they can take a moment to decide if they would like to update or not. Asking the user to update at shutdown feels like a rushed decision; the machine is shutting down, and you have a brief moment to either opt-in or opt-out of updates.
David
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