[Bug 1888801] [NEW] Enhancement: Put all user interaction during upate at the very beginning or end.

Fri Jul 24 07:17:10 UTC 2020

Public bug reported:

Current situation:
===================
You have to stay next to your upgrading machine while upgrading, because user interaction might be necessary (e.g. keep or overwrite file xxx). I.e. you cannot let your computer do the upgrade alone.

Suggestion:
===========
Move all interaction, that might be required at the beginning of the process or at the end. If at the end: after answering the questions the update should be finished within a very short period of time.

OR

Tell the user in advance "Please stay in front of the computer, there
might be questions popping up" and "You can now leave the computer until
step X."

Merit of the Suggestions:
=========================
The (long taking) upgrade process can run without a human watchdog.

Difficulty
==========
I'm aware, that this is probably not one of the easier tasks to do.

My scenario
============
(Sidenote: This scenario is a nice presentation of "I'm too busy using/fighting it, so I don't have time 'supporting' it")

This is what happened during my upgrade process:

(at the beginning I encoutered a different bug)
- Menu -> Update
- Dialog pops up: "Everything is updated. You should upgrade"
- click "upgrade"
- dialog disapears
- nothing happens

- Menu -> Update
- Dialog pops up: "Everything is updated. You should upgrade"
- click "upgrade"
- dialog disapears
- nothing happens

- I figured out the dialog is lying. There was one package, that is not
in it's latest version. Also, it needed to be `install`ed, because even
`sudo apt-get upgrade` would not catch it. (Note: `sudo do-release-
upgrade` would tell "please first update all packages", but would not
tell me which ones I need to update. Aunt Tilli would've already be lost
by now, I guess

- Finally I get the upgrade window to appear. I click "upgrade".
- Dialog "Upgrading Ubuntu to version 20.04" appears. It start running.
- I leave the computer alone.
- After around 10 minutes(?) the fan calms down a little ... weird sign.
- (I hope I remember this correctly) I think after step "Preparing to upgrade" or "Setting new software channels" I get asked "Please close all apps". ... ok.. at least this dialog could be place right in the beginning of the process? Suggestion: Put it in the beginning. Maybe even merge it with the first dialog where the user says "upgrade.

- Finally, "Getting new packages"-step started. I leave the computer alone for 1.5 hours. 
- Fan is not even working anymore... weird sign. 
- I get asked if I want to keep a certain file or overwrite it. 
- The upgrade process paused at about 5 to 10% for that question. Now I have to cut my productive time because the computer is unusable during upgrade. 
-- Side note: I've never even touched that file. How should I know what to do with it? The dialog doesn't even tell me which option is recommended. And George Average would wonder what all the + and - signes in that text box mean ... besides the "foreign language" that's contained.

- This dialog was only one out of many. I resorted to checking back on
my computer every 10 minutes to click away one of those messages for
changing files, that I've never touched.

- Through that I also caught the upgrade-pause for "remove the following packages".
  ... This dialog was also fun because the list is divided into categories "Remove" and "No longer needed". Does that mean, that "No longer needed" apps are not removed? (No it doesn't. But the language infers it kind of)

Ok, I admit it. It's my own fault. This happend every update on every
machine since I started using Ubuntu from 16.xx. I should've been wiser
by now.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 18.04
Package: ubuntu-release-upgrader-core 1:18.04.37
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.15.0-112.113-generic 4.15.18
Uname: Linux 4.15.0-112-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.15
Architecture: amd64
CrashDB: ubuntu
CurrentDesktop: XFCE
Date: Fri Jul 24 15:45:12 2020
InstallationDate: Installed on 2018-09-30 (662 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Xubuntu 18.04.1 LTS "Bionic Beaver" - Release amd64 (20180725)
PackageArchitecture: all
SourcePackage: ubuntu-release-upgrader
Symptom: ubuntu-release-upgrader
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

** Affects: ubuntu-release-upgrader (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New

** Tags: amd64 apport-bug bionic dist-upgrade

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1888801

Title:
  Enhancement: Put all user interaction during upate at the very
  beginning or end.

Status in ubuntu-release-upgrader package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  Current situation:
  ===================
  You have to stay next to your upgrading machine while upgrading, because user interaction might be necessary (e.g. keep or overwrite file xxx). I.e. you cannot let your computer do the upgrade alone.

  Suggestion:
  ===========
  Move all interaction, that might be required at the beginning of the process or at the end. If at the end: after answering the questions the update should be finished within a very short period of time.

  OR

  Tell the user in advance "Please stay in front of the computer, there
  might be questions popping up" and "You can now leave the computer
  until step X."

  Merit of the Suggestions:
  =========================
  The (long taking) upgrade process can run without a human watchdog.

  Difficulty
  ==========
  I'm aware, that this is probably not one of the easier tasks to do.

  My scenario
  ============
  (Sidenote: This scenario is a nice presentation of "I'm too busy using/fighting it, so I don't have time 'supporting' it")

  This is what happened during my upgrade process:

  (at the beginning I encoutered a different bug)
  - Menu -> Update
  - Dialog pops up: "Everything is updated. You should upgrade"
  - click "upgrade"
  - dialog disapears
  - nothing happens

  - Menu -> Update
  - Dialog pops up: "Everything is updated. You should upgrade"
  - click "upgrade"
  - dialog disapears
  - nothing happens

  - I figured out the dialog is lying. There was one package, that is
  not in it's latest version. Also, it needed to be `install`ed, because
  even `sudo apt-get upgrade` would not catch it. (Note: `sudo do-
  release-upgrade` would tell "please first update all packages", but
  would not tell me which ones I need to update. Aunt Tilli would've
  already be lost by now, I guess

  - Finally I get the upgrade window to appear. I click "upgrade".
  - Dialog "Upgrading Ubuntu to version 20.04" appears. It start running.
  - I leave the computer alone.
  - After around 10 minutes(?) the fan calms down a little ... weird sign.
  - (I hope I remember this correctly) I think after step "Preparing to upgrade" or "Setting new software channels" I get asked "Please close all apps". ... ok.. at least this dialog could be place right in the beginning of the process? Suggestion: Put it in the beginning. Maybe even merge it with the first dialog where the user says "upgrade.

  - Finally, "Getting new packages"-step started. I leave the computer alone for 1.5 hours. 
  - Fan is not even working anymore... weird sign. 
  - I get asked if I want to keep a certain file or overwrite it. 
  - The upgrade process paused at about 5 to 10% for that question. Now I have to cut my productive time because the computer is unusable during upgrade. 
  -- Side note: I've never even touched that file. How should I know what to do with it? The dialog doesn't even tell me which option is recommended. And George Average would wonder what all the + and - signes in that text box mean ... besides the "foreign language" that's contained.

  - This dialog was only one out of many. I resorted to checking back on
  my computer every 10 minutes to click away one of those messages for
  changing files, that I've never touched.

  - Through that I also caught the upgrade-pause for "remove the following packages".
    ... This dialog was also fun because the list is divided into categories "Remove" and "No longer needed". Does that mean, that "No longer needed" apps are not removed? (No it doesn't. But the language infers it kind of)

  Ok, I admit it. It's my own fault. This happend every update on every
  machine since I started using Ubuntu from 16.xx. I should've been
  wiser by now.

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 18.04
  Package: ubuntu-release-upgrader-core 1:18.04.37
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.15.0-112.113-generic 4.15.18
  Uname: Linux 4.15.0-112-generic x86_64
  ApportVersion: 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.15
  Architecture: amd64
  CrashDB: ubuntu
  CurrentDesktop: XFCE
  Date: Fri Jul 24 15:45:12 2020
  InstallationDate: Installed on 2018-09-30 (662 days ago)
  InstallationMedia: Xubuntu 18.04.1 LTS "Bionic Beaver" - Release amd64 (20180725)
  PackageArchitecture: all
  SourcePackage: ubuntu-release-upgrader
  Symptom: ubuntu-release-upgrader
  UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

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