At some stage it was recommended to disable apper. Then I was told in the forum that it is now OK and it worked alright. However after updating to 13.1 (i586 KDE desktop) apper seems to play up. First it shows that I have 220 updates. When I OK it starts downloading. The normal apper window (from the previous version) does not come up where you can untick a certain programme (e.g. calligra always seems to have problems with the folder names and stops the process) instead now there is a grey window at the bottom of the screen when you click the cog. You can see the download and there is is a cancel button - no tick box for selection any more. Half an hour later the download still continues - should have finished ages ago. After pressing the cancel button the download still continues.If I go to system settings the old apper window is still there but nothing is shown possibly because the other apper (in the grey window is still running. The notification icon in the system tray is still doing something (rotating) the hard disk led is flickering but when I write in the console: ‘ps -ef | grep apper’ there is no result. I guess I have to uninstall it for now and use yast for updates?
Cheers
Uli
zypper up is pretty nice
People have different opinions about that, so it depends on who you ask.
I currently have Apper running, but I might disable it later. I have not yet decided. As far as I know, it is still a bit buggy, but probably safe to use.
That’s actually an update notifier, which is installed along side Apper (part of the same package). When you are notified, you can click the Install button on the notifier – that’s probably what you did. But, if you prefer, you can instead start Apper from the menu: System –> Configuration –> Apper
and then you should have your old screen options back.
That’s going to depend on your network speed. On a slow network, 220 updates can take a while.
You can just turn it off.
Configure Desktop –> Startup and Shutdown –> Service Manager
and then uncheck the box next to “Apper Monitor”.
And you can deselect updates there as well. Just click on “Review” (as before) or click on the updater icon in the system tray.
Each update does have a checkbox left of it.
Note that the applet does not have a scroll bar, but you can scroll by clicking and dragging up/down or using the mouse wheel.
AFAIK the scrollbar isn’t there because it was causing problems (because of a bug in plasma?).
And if you remove the updater applet from the system tray (right-click on the small up-arrow on the right side just left of the digital clock and select “System Tray Settings” and disable it there), everything should be like before on 12.3… 
I always remove packgekit and apper during installation. It saves a lot of hassle. Zypper does all you need.
Well, I didn’t have much hassle with it since quite some time.
And especially the most recent version works very well here.
Zypper does all you need.
Except for automatically notifying you of updates…
That said, I run zypper often as well.
And if Apper notifies me of new updates, I install them with that.
For official updates/patches from the update repo, I prefer to use Apper, because it can show the patch’s description which can’t be done with zypper that easily.
Of course one can use YaST->Online Update as well, but why bother if I just have to click on Apper’s notification…
But everybody can do what he/she prefers of course.
No. Zypper does all **you **need. There’s a difference.
Started for testing purposes (reasoning that software is not made to be installed by default then removed after install, instead of running it, fixing issues), and I must say that my opinion (I was one of those who uninstalled immediately) has turned around completely. I’m more than comfortable with zypper in a terminal window (love ‘zypper sh’) but I’m aware that most new users don’t have a 25 years command-line experience. Apper does what it should do IME. It notifies you that updates are available, allows you to review and install them. When using it to install stuff (i.e. change the system setup) it asks for the root password, which it should, but it doesn’t for updates (permission was already given when installing the packages).
Another case is the one where f.e. company/school workstations are involved. Sysadmins don’t want end-users to do their job. In such cases I use my custom made images to install, and leave apper / packagekit out.
Summarizing: IMHO Apper today is a nice piece of software. Stable and useful.
You could of course force Apper to ask for the root password on updates as well if you wanted to, or allow installing of new packages without password. Just change the polkit rules (which only root can of course).
Yup, but my reasoning always is that defaults are there for a reason. Since my install images don’t install apper+packagekit I don’t have to touch anything.
EDIT: this goes for business/school networks. At home my kids use Apper. “About 300 package updates” means “a new KDE” means logout, login when updating is done, is what they say.
This was not meant as proposal for your scenario.
And yes, the defaults are there for a reasons, but defaults cannot be suitable for everybody or every situation. That’s why you can change them.
I just wanted to mention it because some people feel uneasy about the fact that Apper can install updates without having to enter the root password. There were even bug reports about that… (privilege escalation and so on)
First of all thanks for all the answers overnight (for me) - already on page 2!
That’s actually an update notifier, which is installed along side Apper (part of the same package). When you are notified, you can click the Install button on the notifier – that’s probably what you did.
OK - I probably have to get used to this - nevertheless it should have stopped after I clicked the cancel button.
That’s going to depend on your network speed. On a slow network, 220 updates can take a while.
Well it should not have taken so long. When I came back I counted more than 80 updates within a few minutes. My internet speed is not spectacular (too far from the exchange) but it is still fast enough to download the 4 GB DVD of this version (13.1) in less than 45 minutes.
Note that the applet does not have a scroll bar, but you can scroll by clicking and dragging up/down or using the mouse wheel.
If they want to make it simpler then the ‘old’ apper version with scroll bar would have been better.
I will just call apper from the launcher in future, or use zypper.
Thanks again everyone.
It also depends on the updates of course. Some updates take longer to install than others, f.e. if a new initrd has to be created, or the gtk-icon-cache updated, or things like that.
But that’s not related to apper.
If they want to make it simpler then the ‘old’ apper version with scroll bar would have been better.
I will just call apper from the launcher in future, or use zypper.
Thanks again everyone.
I already told you.
Remove the update applet from the system tray, and you will get the old apper with scroll bar when you click on “Review” or “Install”.
On 2013-11-24 00:16, fuerstu wrote:
> Well it should not have taken so long. When I came back I counted more
> than 80 updates within a few minutes. My internet speed is not
> spectacular (too far from the exchange) but it is still fast enough to
> download the 4 GB DVD of this version (13.1) in less than 45 minutes.
That’s slow? Mine takes a day.
–
Cheers / Saludos,
Carlos E. R.
(from 12.3 x86_64 “Dartmouth” at Telcontar)