Linux Mint Update Manager

I haven't used my cheap laptop with Linux Mint operating system for a while; for several weeks. For you who have read my other Linux related articles, you know I converted a Windows laptop to a Linux laptop, more precisely Linux Mint operating system. That laptop is my additional computer. I still have a macOS MacMini computer as my main machine. Beside that Linux Mint actually make it possible to keep on using that laptop, I use it for learning Linux and eventually go over more completely to Linux later. 

So today, when I have not used my Linux Mint machine for a while, there are indeed some updates to do. In the Linux Mint world (like for many other Linux distributions), there is a repository/library with a lot of software that can be installed from this repository. For updates, it means that both those additional softwares as well as those installed with the Linux Mint installation, are updated with the Update Manager. The Update Manager checks for updates, as well well check if there is anything additional that is needed to be updated to make each software working. This is a very convient way to keep very much up to date. 

Indeed, there were many updates in the Update Manager. I clicked to install all of them. It went on smoothly. All updates installed. Like other times I have updated my Linux Mint machine. 

I have a few softwares so far which are not installed via the repository. Also such a software needed to be updated. I downloaded the package (.deb) with the Firefox browser. Then I also installed this update smoothly with an installer (another standard installer in Linux Mint, which I have forgotten the name of. 

One remark I have regarding the stadard software repository in Linux Mint is the FlatPak connection. FlatPak is another both method and repository to pack software. As I know, it has a possibility to directly work in different Linux distributions. I have tried once to install a software from FlatPak "via" the ordinary program library software in Linux Mint. However, I discovered that the software was very old, I could compare with the software web site that there were indeed newer releases. I also noticed in the FlatPak description of the software "“NOTE: This wrapper is not verified by, affiliated with, or supported by [developer of the application]”. To me, it appear as someone else inlcuded the software in FlatPak, but have not bothered to keep it up to date. My recommendation is to be somewhat more careful with FlatPak, checking more, before installing. I suppose software in the ordinary repository can also be old, but I do not think they have the same issue with uncontrolled uploads. I asked this in comments of mintCast Episode 301, and it was commented by the team in Episode 302 of the mintCast podcast. 

Linux Mint is promising, stable with relatively easy maintenance!

Henrik Hemrin

4 June 2019