Updating Ubuntu can be a bit confusing at times, due lack of knowledge regarding the large number of packages that become available with each update. Many users simply update all packages when the default update manager pops-up. This often results in the installation of many unwanted packages, which consume a lot of hard disk space. Update Manager Indicator is a app-indicator applet, which helps you to manage all your Ubuntu updates. It provides an easy to use drop down menu for selecting only required updates. You are also provided with NotifyOSD “bubble message” notifications, when new updates are available for download. Perhaps what distinguishes it from the default Update manger is, that you can disable the annoying update window pop-up and hence, no longer need to update packages, just to get rid of constant prompts.
Update Manager Indicator can be installed from the following WEBUPD8 PPA:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nilarimogard/webupd8 sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install indicator-updatemanager
Once installation is complete, you can launch the app-indicator applet for Update Manager, from the Unity Launcher Dash and manage your updates by clicking on the system tray icon.
The drop down menu of this indicator applet displays a list of available updates. You can access advanced options from Preferences. Within Preferences, you get the option to select the time interval for checking for new updates, disable the default (yet annoying) Ubuntu update manager auto-pop up window, enable notifications and passive icon.
You can also download the source package for Update Manager Indicator from the Launchpad link given below. To build the vala sources, you will need the below mentioned dependencies:
- libgtk2.0-dev
- libgconf2-dev
- libappindicator-dev
- libnotify-dev
- libglib2.0-dev
- libvala-0.12-dev
- valac
To install the package, run:
./configure
make
make install
