NerdHappens.com

In Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty), the new default behavior of the update-manager window is to pop up minimized when critical security updates are available. This differs from the previous behavior of adding a notification tray icon when any type of update is available. This is presumably to nag users to apply critical security updates, similar to something Microsoft did in XP a few years ago.

I personally think this is a very bad decision because it is annoying and also assumes that Ubuntu users are too lazy to apply their updates promptly. In any case, as documented in the Ubuntu 9.04 Release Notes, here is how you fix it.

gconftool -s --type bool /apps/update-notifier/auto_launch false

After seeing some lively debate about the subject of Canonical's Landscape service on the Ubuntu forums, I thought I would add my own two cents.

I think the majority of folks seem to grasp the concept of Canonical trying to make money and don't seem to support any kind of "free beer" approach to the software, even though they would like it. However, I am still seeing quite a few people griping about this move being in violation of the "spirit" of Ubuntu. That is primarily the point I would like to address.

Landscape is being released as a web based service to manage systems. It is not just software, but the hosting, support, and updates to the ...