Update your software and system on your schedule. Continue to work as while updates process. Manage software packages with Discover, Muon, or command-line.
Please read the disclaimer before proceeding. This workflow is updated regularly. Please write authorship with suggestions or requests.
Ubuntu, Kubuntu, and most derivatives use Debian packages to install and update most software. The official documentation provides a great overview of all the pieces.
Upgrade your packages once a day. This keeps your system up-to-date with the latest security and feature enhancements. Updates on the Focus rarely cause issues because it ships with only 18.04 and 20.04 Long Term Support (LTS) OSes designed to minimize breakage. On top of this the Focus team also run daily regression tests to identify and quickly fix any issues.
Even with all these safeguards though, we still recommend delaying updates until after critical work is done for the day. Although glitches are rare, it is best to deal with them on your own terms!
The Discover package manager is the official KDE GUI to update,
browse, install, and remove most software from the system. It is built on
top of the apt package system. Please refer to the
documentation as needed.
The typical update procedure is illustrated below. Package updates are indicated by a blue dot in the system tray.
Click on the update indicator to review changes.
After Update is clicked, Discover starts and the
update list is refreshed.
Click on the Update All button to start the process.
User authorization is required.
The update takes seconds or minutes depending on the number of packages.
After updates are complete Discover will appear as shown.
Discover can find, install or remove software.
Muon is another GUI on top of the package system. It is more powerful
than Discover, but also more complex. If you are a power user, Muon
might be your preferred tool.
Muon provides a more complex but faster interface.
Muon can inspect installed software packages.
One can manage software using the apt package tools including
apt, apt-get, apt-cache, aptitude, and wajig.
Notice that the CLI tools use update as the keyword to
update the list of software, while upgrade is used to
install updated packages.
Discover has a bug where the proxy setting can get stuck. Here are the steps to resolve:
sudo apt install sqlitebrowsersudo sqlitebrowser /var/lib/PackageKit/transactions.dbproxy tablesudo systemctl restart packagekit.serviceOne can Rollback upgrades. Sorry, we wish it were easier.
We try hard to provide a useful workflow validated by professionals. However, we cannot anticipate every situation, and therefore cannot guarantee this procedure will work for your needs. Always back up your data and test the workflow to determine the correct procedure for you.
THIS WORKFLOW IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS “AS IS” AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT OWNER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS WORKFLOW, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.