MiserWare MicroMiser is an intelligent software power management solution for x86 servers, laptops, and PCs running Linux. MicroMiser automatically optimizes a system to use energy more efficiently without compromising performance or availability.

Mozilla has confirmed that the next major release of the Firefox web browser - version 4.0 - will feature a built-in silent update system that will automatically upgrade the the open source browser

Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope doesn't show the update icon in the system tray when there are updates available. This is because the update system was changed in Ubuntu Jaunty:

The cron-apt package, combines the cron and apt utilities, and provides flexibility and a simpler interface as well as supporting e-mail alerts on errors or new information.

Linux® ordinarily uses Cron to automatically perform routine system maintenance, such as rotating log files and updating spam filtering rules. This works well for servers and other systems that are powered on 24/7. If, however, you want to save power by shutting off the computer when it's not in use, as is common for desktop and laptop systems, Cron can't run.

One of the great things about using open source software is the frequency with which bugs are fixed, security holes are patched, and new features are added. Ubuntu includes a very convenient update manager but constantly upgrading your system can be a burden. This guide will explain howto customize the manager to run less often, or automatically install updates.

Learn how to install, upgrade, and manage packages on your Linux® system. This article focuses on the Advanced Packaging Tool, or APT, which is the package management system used by Debian and distributions derived from Debian, such as Ubuntu.

There is a very simple command that reinstalls all the distribution packages and reconfigures them automatically. This is particularly helpful when you have done a partial upgrade and eventually have broken the system dependencies tree.

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.