[Bug 1834226] Re: update-notifier doesn't respect "automatically check for updates: Never"

[Brian Murray]

** Tags removed: rls-ee-incoming

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1834226

Title:
  update-notifier doesn't respect "automatically check for updates:
  Never"

Status in software-properties package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed
Status in software-properties source package in Eoan:
  Confirmed

Bug description:
  This has been a long-standing problem with various ubuntu
  installations, and I'm sensing some reticence in doing anything about
  it. This attitude also seems to be purposeful to try to cajole updates
  on people who make bad choices due to confusion/fud/paranoia.

  apt install fails due to:

  E: Could not get lock /var/lib/dpkg/lock-frontend - open (11: Resource temporarily unavailable)
  E: Unable to acquire the dpkg frontend lock (/var/lib/dpkg/lock-frontend), is another process using it?

  A great deal of networking is taking place despite setting automatic
  upgrades to "never". Cycling this doesn't seem to do anything. This
  action is hostile to programmers and the setting should be respected.

  Wisdom on threads is to let it update until it's out of updates, and
  then it supposedly respects the "never" flag, but the experience I'm
  having is much more non-deterministic. have been using 19.04 for weeks
  now and still get the background notifier using data and getting in
  the way of aptitude package installations. I prefer manual update &&
  upgrade once my code is ready to push.

  Is there another way around this or are people just living with it?

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