Updates: grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence

[Renata Rocha]

I have a Windows 7 machine here. I can relate. My condolences.

Renata Rocha
http://renata.org




On Thu, Oct 20, 2011 at 13:19, D. Hugh Redelmeier <hugh-pmF8o41NoarQT0dZR+AlfA at public.gmane.org> wrote:
> Every once in a while, I run MS Windows.  Usually just to do updates.
> Some kind of compulsion like obsessive hand washing.
>
> I rebooted my Fedora 15 desktop machine because of Fedora updates, so I
> took the opportunity to update the Vista that came with the machine.
>
> Infelicities that I remember:
>
> - Microsoft updates are slow and require a reboot
>
> - upon reboot, more updates appear.  Why?  No explanation given (I
>  could invent some reasons).  They too require a reboot.
>
> - one of the updates prompts for permission to install (ie9, I think).
>  But it puts the prompt UNDER the Windows Update window so I let the
>  machine sit there invisibly waiting for me for quite some time until
>  I moved the Windows Update window and could see it.  DUMB.
>
> - several other non-Microsoft things clamour to be updated and
>  sometimes require reboots: java, Adobe Flash, Adobe Reader, ATI
>  Video driver
>
> - I have to "agree" to multi-page terms at several junctures
>
> - I have no clue about which upgrades can be done in parallel and
>  which might step on each others toes.  So I do this serially.
>
> - HP Updates tool says I should update the Intel Matrix driver (for
>  the hard drives).  It stalls during download (0 bytes downloaded).
>  Perhaps it is a firewall setting, but I get no help as to what the
>  problem is.  (Trying again, after all the other updates, seems to
>  work.  No idea why.)
>
> - At virtually every step, Vista says that a program is doing
>  something serious, and do I want to let it?
>
> - Firefox 3.x doesn't automatically upgrade, so I asked it to check
>  for updates.  It then asked to update to 3.6.y, I said OK, and it
>  did.  After that, it asked if I wanted to update to the latest
>  version.  I then had to download and run an executable that took
>  several steps.
>
> - Microsoft Security Essentials is now nagging me about an update.  I
>  guess that means that it isn't updated by Windows Update.  No, it
>  turns out that it was already updated but the notification thingee
>  hadn't noticed.
>
> Updating Fedora is much easier.
>
> BTW, I recently updated my iPad to iOS 5.  Even that was more awkward
> than Fedora updates.  Typing in my WPA key again, through the
> touchscreen, was particularly annoying.  And yes, I still speak
> English.  Of course I had to fire up a Windows box to run iTunes to do
> the update.
>
> In contrast, the HP TouchPad update I did yesterday was much easier.  I
> didn't need to tether it, only one reboot, taken care of
> automatically.
>
> Ubuntu updates are as easy as Fedora updates except in the odd case
> where a config file is being changed.  Two bad things happen:
>
> - the update hangs on a prompt (that's against Red Hat rules)
>  so unattended updates don't work
>
> - the system wants the operator to specify what it should do with the
>  conflicting config files.  I am usually unprepared to answer
>  questions about obscure programs' obscure config files.
>
> I admit that doing better safely is hard.
>
> CentOS updates are as easy as Fedora updates.  But for much of this
> year, CentOS didn't issue any updates -- somewhat worrying.  They are
> back at it now.
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