FIGURE 1.8 In the Updates tab of Software & Updates, configure which
updates you want and how you want them to be handled.
Ubuntu also enables you to configure how often it checks for updates and
how they are installed. By default, Ubuntu checks daily for updates and, if
any are available, notifies you. However, you can change the frequency and
the actions Ubuntu carries out when it finds available updates. We
recommend keeping the notification-only option because this enables you to
see what updates are available prior to their installation. If you want to save
time, choose Download All Updates in the Background to configure Ubuntu
to silently download the updates before it gives you the option to install them.
Part of the magic of Ubuntu is the ease in which you can upgrade from major
version to major version, such as moving from 17.04 to 17.10. Some Ubuntu
releases are called LTS, for long-term support, and are intended for
production use by most people. The interim releases are for those who feel
they must have the most recent version of everything or those who help work
on Ubuntu development. These releases are stable, but they are supported for
only a short time, so if you choose to use them, you should plan to upgrade to
the new release every six months. By ensuring that the release upgrade option
is set to LTS releases only, you’ll be prompted to upgrade your version of
Ubuntu only every two years; the next LTS version, 20.04, is scheduled to be
released in April 2020.
The Other Software tab enables you to add other repositories. It comes by
default with everything you need to connect to and use Canonical’s partner
repository, with nonfree (usually in the licensing sense, but occasionally for