This plugin checks for package updates using the Smart Package Manager.
Works with both Redhat / Fedora (RPM) and Debian / Ubuntu (DEB) packages.
It can also be configured, though with somewhat less features and functionality,
to use either the Yum (+Extender) or APT (+Synaptic) package managers.
Alternatively you can try it with Slapt or Pacman package managers
for use with Slackware / Vector (TAR) or Arch Linux (.pkg.tar.gz) packages.
Click the icon to launch the Smart install/upgrade GUI, or middle-click the icon to check for upgrades. This will check using local cache only.
To update channels from the network, use the menu item or dialog button (install the setuid program “smart-update” to avoid sudo and the dialog)
By default, the plugin will check for upgrades / updates on demand only. Recommended is to use check interval for upgrades, and cron for updates.
The following table shows which Package Manager commands are being used:
P.M. | CHECK FOR UPGRADES (local) | UPDATE CHANNELS (network) |
---|---|---|
Smart | smart upgrade --dump | smart-update |
Yum | yum -C check-update | su -c "yum check-update" |
APT | apt-get --simulate dist-upgrade | sudo apt-get update |
Slapt | slapt-get --simulate --dist-upgrade | su -c "slapt-get --update" |
Pacman | pacman -Sup --noconfirm | su -c "pacman -Sy" |
Checking for upgrades or browsing packages can be done as a regular user,
while updating channels or installing packages requires superuser privileges.
The panel plugin can be configured both in the Xfce-default layout (like in the Fedora desktop) with the application icon of the selected package manager, or in the GNOME-like layout (like in the Ubuntu desktop) with a generic package icon.
When launching the package manager you will be asked to authenticate as the root user (for su
) or an admin user (for sudo
), in order be able to install packages. By installing the smart-update
program, you can avoid this for updating the channels.
Tooltips and icon are normally used for status communication, but notifications can optionally be configured too. Use --enable-libnotify
to enable upgrade notifications
To build plugin from source code in SVN or ZIP, use something like:
./autogen.sh --prefix=/usr && make && sudo make install
xfce4-smartpm-plugin-0.4.0.tar.gz - Major update:
xfce4-smartpm-plugin-0.3.2.tar.gz - Minor update:
xfce4-smartpm-plugin-0.3.1.tar.gz - Minor update:
xfce4-smartpm-plugin-0.3.0.tar.gz - Major update:
xfce4-smartpm-plugin-0.2.2.tar.gz - Minor update:
xfce4-smartpm-plugin-0.2.1.tar.gz - Minor bugfix update, bugs resolved:
xfce4-smartpm-plugin-0.2.0.tar.gz - New major version, with new features:
xfce4-smart-plugin-0.1.2.zip - Minor changes, to icon drawing and path settings
xfce4-smart-plugin-0.1.1.zip - Updated version, tested with Xubuntu Feisty (Beta)
xfce4-smart-plugin-0.1.0.zip - Initial version, tested with Fedora Core 7 (Test 3)
Similar programs:
Written by Anders F Björklund <afb at users.sourceforge.net>