Hi, my name is Chris. I am Ubuntu update-manager addict. I began innocently enough, sometime back in Febuary, I ran ‘update-manager -d‘ to get a peek at Unbuntu Hardy Heron. Since that time I have been unable to resist the little orange “Updates Available” icon. Checking two or three times a day for improved progams, bug fixes, and new features.

Gstyle is a new full Gnome theme manager with some really great features which I am sure you will love if you like to customize your Desktop look constantly. Gstyle can automatically download and install wallpapers, Xsplash, GTK themes, icon themes, full themes, mouse pointers and more from gnome-look, deviantart, customize.org and others, or directly from the software source.

1) Never use apt-get or aptitude: Apt(itude) is great (it's got supercow powers), but for upgrading use update-manager instead (see the how-to below). Update-manager still uses apt in the background, but additionally fixes common errors, removes old artwork, etc.

I finally experienced my first "phantom" update notification in Ubuntu 9.04. In previous versions of the system, a little icon on the upper panel would notify me that updates were available. I could either click the icon and open the Update Manager, then do the update. But in this new system (I've been running 9.04 about a week), the icon is gone.

Mandriva 2011, the latest desktop edition of the popular Linux distribution, was released yesterday. If you have just installed it, you would have noticed, if you mouseover the update manager icon, this message: “No medium found.

On the Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx desktop you may notice the Ubuntu Update Manager pops up on the bottom panel. This indicates software and security updates are available for your Ubuntu desktop.

For those who are using Ubuntu Jaunty, you will notice that there is a change in the way the system notifies you to upgrade software. In the past, an icon will appear on the system tray whenever there is new update available. In Ubuntu Jaunty, instead of showing the icon, the update manager will now pop up the window as and when it detects new update.

To upgrade from Ubuntu 8.10, press Alt+F2 and type in "update-manager -d" (without the quotes) into the command box. Update Manager should open up and tell you: New distribution release '9.04' is available. Click Upgrade and follow the on-screen instructions.

The Debian / Ubuntu upgrade mechanism is a wonderful piece of software. When the new release comes out, just follow the instructions given by the update manager and the upgrade will be done almost automatically. Sometimes Ubuntu asks for your help when you made other changes than the upgrade program itself wants to make.