In case I mistakenly just update without reading the announcements I am sure if there was a serious problem it would be sorted out in 3 days (most likely at least)
You can use the matray app for notifications as well. It’s in the repository:
$ pamac search matray
matray 1.1.4-1 [Installed] extra
A Manjaro Linux announcements notification app
So it’s as simple as installing it with:
pamac install matray
If there is an update, you can do it when you feel more comfortable. I’m only doing todays update tomorrow, as I had to do some stuff earlier and don’t want to have someone/-thing interrupt me.
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I remember it from my first thread a while ago on the forum.
I prefer not to install anything, just checking the link bookmarked in my browser is fine for me.
Thank you
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Well it’s a ‘curated rolling release’… so you get incremental and slightly more stable updates.
If you shove something like Inoreader extension in Firefox, and add the RSS feed for Stable announcements, then you’ll get to see and read what’s coming - if you have snapshots/backups then there’s less fear as you can roll back.
It’s also feasible (as you prize stability) to wait and read the thread and see how it progresses over a week before jumping on the bandwagon.
As this isn’t a traditional ‘Stable’ desktop, then your snapshots and backups and strategies are what give your desktop the reliability you require… overall it does end up feeling like a much more solid strategy (especially for us daredevils flying a Plasma desktop).
Anyway, in this forum - declaring you were born in 1961 does not qualify you in any way for special treatment, because there are a lot of older fossils in this Manjaro mountain (though I’m so much younger, being of 1963 vintage).
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It’s really small, but it’s your choice. I just think if a machine can do it for me, why remember myself?
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This is the point I was mainly talking about. Delaying the update a little. But I just thought it is enough to be only 3 days so not to delay security updates that long. And I believe 3 days are enough for serious bugs to be sorted out.
I know for sure it is not that ‘Stable’, but it is stable enough for me. I have bean on Manjaro fro a few months, and on Debian for much longer). So I know how is stabilit of both. Arch based, Manjaro, EndeavourOS and Debian. Debian is theoretically more stable, but practically, being on Manjaro for over a month now, I see Manjaro stable is stable enough. The delay I want is just to avoid me making a mistake and mistakenly just updating without double checking the announcements as I said before.
I never ask for any special treatment for any reason, no matter what, even in real life. I hate it.
Maybe it is mainly about me trying to give myself “excuses” for being unfocused, or doing something silly by mistake! This is why I chose the name “oldtux”, just to remind myself I am old, and I shouldn’t try to be naughty 
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You have a point here, and you are right.
But maybe because I come from the good old days, when computers and storage were so little in resources (floppy disks were like wow a whole lot of 360KB and RAM was like 48KB - Synclair machine), where we had to be very careful, and avoid having lots of software unnecessarily, floppy disks used to cost money then.
I generally prefer not to install anything unless really needed.
I get it. I really do. But is this too much?
$ pamac info matray
[...]
Installed Size : 245.7 kB
[...]
And I’d actually argue that it is very important.
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I didn’t mean like that - ‘Stable’ means fixed for a period, which for most of us rollers means that we can’t get the fixes that developers put into various applications (look at the version of Audacious on Ubuntu for a laugh).
But for sure, I had many more issues - especially periodic (like every major upgrade) on Linux Mint than I have with rolling - and much more serious problems trying to install something like PlexHTPC, or other software which MUST be installed and doesn’t get included in repos.
But really - the good old days, didn’t we learn about RSS feeds?
As for the Sinclaire - what a dream… I still remember those rubber keys, with colours and cool words like ‘INPUT CODE POKE PEEK’.
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Same here. For me stable means not breaking, I don’t care about how frequent the updates are, I care about my system “just works”, and by “rolling” for me it is the technology itself, to get the updates/upgrades just as an update, that is not to install again ever.
I really miss the synclair. It was actually my first computer ever.
I had the one with rubber keys and 48KB RAM.
I miss it!
And I even miss my first desktop, with DOS, there was no Microsoft or Windows that time. There were no software crashing, freezing,… and all this funny stuff. Life was much simpler.
This is just a small point, but an important one.
I’m not sure that anyone caught it…
No matter how many hours or days, quatrons or sectons (Battlestar Galactica reference) that you might like to wait before updating, this still does not address issues wherein you (the system administrator) are expected to perform an action manually to prevent an issue.
These kinds of issues are not automagically sorted out within a few days unless you actually do the work; this underlines the importance of spending the time to read Update Announcements.
What I’m seeing from comments above is a behavioural issue, more than much else.
Change your habit, and wait until you’re awake and alert before thinking about updating your system. This will free you to pay more attention to detail, and update accordingly.
There’s a donation box in the foyer.
Cheers.
That sure isn’t the DOS I remember.
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For a new user I would usually suggest waiting until there are about 100 votes in the stable update announcement poll, and if less than 90% of users report no issues, read the Known issues and Solutions thoroughly before updating
If less than 80% of users report no issues, read the whole topic thoroughly
My first computer too. I upgraded the rubber keyboard for a mechanical one when I got the drum machine add-on
There are a Spectrum emulators available in AUR
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Yes, it is all about me doing it and updating without reading announcements in case there is something wrong.
Sure, when I do such thing it is me who should fix it.
I am assuming if there are serious issues reported it would be sorted out within a few days, that’s why I am thinking of delaying the updates for 3 days after they get to the repos.
I agree, but sometimes, well, I might be distracted, tired, not really focusing and just update!
I agree with you.
As I have read in many posts, in many forums (as you know I have been distro hopping) I read what I call it a golden rule, that most linux breakages are mainly done by the user himself.
This is what I am trying to do. Waiting!
Me waiting for users to report problems, and waiting for developers to fix it.
On this point I wasn’t being blasé; I meant, there are some things that updates won’t fix – can’t fix – such as when manual intervention is required for an issue that can only be performed locally; at your computer.
Otherwise, you’re correct…
Linux doesn’t typically break itself. 
Cheers.
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Sure, if I, the user break my system an update wont fix it for sure.
I am talking about bugs in whatever software. I am talking critical bugs the can make my computer unusable or unbootable, like the infamous Grub issue that happened like a year ago when an update caused some users not to be able to boot to their systems. Or perhaps any bug in any software or driver or whatever. Not the things I break.
And you seem to be missing the point, again.
I’ll give you an example…
This is from an update announcement (on 2024-08-08):
Now, this is something you did not break… and yet, only you can fix it, because it must be done from your computer; a manual intervention.
That is all.
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In regards of delaying updates (no judging if this is smart or not), please correct me if I’m wrong:
You cannot install any new package without installing all pending updates at the same moment, right?
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Wow! I really thank you for this @soundofthunder
I get it now.
Remember I said that Announcements are bookmarked in my browser and I always check it.
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Technically you can.
But you should always be up to date before installing.
Furthermore you always want to refresh the repositories, and you must sync when you refresh, and partial upgrades are not supported.
So while you can
sudo pacman -S $package
And you should never
sudo pacman -Sy $package
You should use
sudo pacman -Syu $package
(pamac provides no such distinction. It updates along with install by default. It also does AUR updates at the same time by default, which may not be advisable.)
Also note that the longer time between syncs … the less likely a regular pacman -S would even work … as by then the package it would attempt to download would no longer exist in the repositories. Necessitating -Syu.
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