Thought - Delay auto-updates of software to reduce downtime

[Eric Dunbar]

Hi all, I was just reading the Ubuntu weekly news and had a thought
regarding automated software updates and the future of Linux in
general and Ubuntu, specifically.

Remember the recent Ubuntu 6.06 update that brought some people's
systems to a grinding halt?

One way to avoid that is to have staggered or delayed auto-updates,
except for highly critical (and well-tested) security updates. I'm
thinking two weeks, maybe more, along with a slightly random element
built in to lower loads on update servers. The delay can be reduced or
increased through a simple preference setting.

This then creates an additional level of beta tester -- the computer
aficionado who has their auto-update setting set more aggressively
(let's say a day later or even the same day). If there's a
show-stopper bug like the one that hit Ubuntu 6.06 earlier this year,
then only a few (brave) souls are affected and it gives the developers
a little breathing room to pull the update or fix the problem before
it affects a lot of people.

If Linux is to succeed on the desktop, then those kind of bugs _must_
be avoided at all costs. A user experimenting with Linux as a Windows
replacement (and someone who's not particularly computer literate)
will probably not bother to get past the kernel panic (and, why should
they?) and just call over their nearest competent Windows-uber
computer geek to reinstall Windows. Re-installing an OS to clean up a
problem is "sooo 1990s" [add annoying tone of voice] ;-).

I'm sure it's been suggested before but just thought I'd throw it out
there as 'food for thought'.