Can't see which installed packages don't have an associated repository

Bug #596409 reported by Matthew Paul Thomas
6
This bug affects 1 person
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
software-center (Ubuntu)
Fix Released
Medium
Gary Lasker

Bug Description

If you have installed one or more packages that do not have an associated repository, those packages will never be updated. The same is true for packages that used to have an associated repository and no longer do -- for example, the repository has disappeared off the Internet, or it still exists but no longer contains that package, or you have removed it from your sources list.

Someone interested in security and/or compatibility will likely want to remove or replace as many of these packages as they can. But Ubuntu Software Center currently offers no way to see which packages on your system are in this state. I *think* Synaptic's "Installed (local or obsolete)" Status filter is supposed to do this, but I can't tell for sure.

This has long been specified but is not yet implemented <https://wiki.ubuntu.com/SoftwareCenter#channels>: "“Installed Software” should have child items for each source from which any software is currently installed, plus an item containing all installed packages with an unknown source ... the section for packages with an unknown source should have a question mark as its icon, and the label “Other”."

[Originally reported by Neil Patel in <http://twitter.com/njpatel/status/16551486084>.]

description: updated
Revision history for this message
Gary Lasker (gary-lasker) wrote :

Hey mpt! Thanks for your report. The display of child items for the "Installed Software' view is one of the items scheduled for implementation for Maverick in the "Software Center UI Enhancements" blueprint:

  https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/desktop-maverick-software-center-front-end

It's currently included in the work items for Alpha 2 and I've started the work in a branch, so the plan is to have this feature by the end of the week.

Changed in software-center (Ubuntu):
assignee: nobody → Gary Lasker (gary-lasker)
importance: Undecided → Medium
status: New → Triaged
Revision history for this message
Gary Lasker (gary-lasker) wrote :

As mentioned in comment #1, the child items for the "Installed Software" view were added for Alpha 2. However, I did not close this bug at that time because I hadn't implemented the "Other" item for display of package for which there is not an associated repository. The linked branch implements this feature.

Changed in software-center (Ubuntu):
status: Triaged → Fix Committed
Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

This bug was fixed in the package software-center - 2.1.7

---------------
software-center (2.1.7) maverick; urgency=low

  [ Gary Lasker ]
  * softwarecenter/view/availablepane.py:
    - restore missing busy cursor when loading applist
      views (LP: #610688)
    - fix visual glitch when navigating back to a subcategory
      list view from a details view (LP: #611108)
  * debian/control:
    - add depends python-debian (>= 0.1.15)
  * softwarecenter/backend/channel.py:
    - add an "App Expo" item in the left navigation pane for
      display of the contents of the (for now) app review
      board PPA
  * test/test_database.py:
    - update test for parse_axi_values_file change, fix
      test_update_from_var_lib_apt_lists
  * softwarecenter/backend/channel.py:
    - add a new "Other" item in the left navigation pane
      for display of software items for which a corresponding
      repository is not available (LP: #524379, LP: #596409)

  [ Michael Vogt ]
  * softwarecenter/view/widgets/actionbar.py:
    - fix crash in action buttons
  * softwarecenter/db/update.py:
    - support additional metadata from Packages file for the
      "Whats new" repository (and possible others)
    - add axi catalogedtime information to the app-install-data
      DB
  * softwarecenter/db/database.py:
    - export parse_axi_values_file()

  [ Bilal Akhtar ]
  * softwarecenter/app.py:
    - Prevent About dialog from being set as modal. (LP: #550955)

  [ Michael Bienia ]
  * softwarecenter/apt/apthistory.py,
    softwarecenter/view/historypane.py:
    - fix DeprecationWarning at startup (LP: #602310)
 -- Michael Vogt <email address hidden> Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:35:56 +0200

Changed in software-center (Ubuntu):
status: Fix Committed → Fix Released
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