Ubuntu "pro"?

[Jake M]

So, after my back up restoration and updates, at one point during
updating, I got the message that "pro" had to be enabled to be able to
download those. I checked and it looks like I have to register. This
is brand new and something I had not come across before. Safe or not
and is anyone here using it? Are there hidden fees down the road? Just
odd that I've never seen such an update before. Thanks.

[Jonathan N. Little]

Post by Jake M
So, after my back up restoration and updates, at one point during
updating, I got the message that "pro" had to be enabled to be able to
download those.  I checked and it looks like I have to register.  This
is brand new and something I had not come across before.  Safe or not
and is anyone here using it?  Are there hidden fees down the road?  Just
odd that I've never seen such an update before.  Thanks.

When you install an LTS version of Ubuntu you get a "stable" version of
apps but not necessarily the latest versions. By registering you can get
more updated patches (free for personal use for up to 5 systems) whereas
before you had to either install the newer non-LTS version or wait until
the next LTS release.

[rbowman]

Post by Jonathan N. Little

Post by Jake M
So, after my back up restoration and updates, at one point during
updating, I got the message that "pro" had to be enabled to be able to
download those.  I checked and it looks like I have to register.  This
is brand new and something I had not come across before.  Safe or not
and is anyone here using it?  Are there hidden fees down the road? 
Just odd that I've never seen such an update before.  Thanks.

When you install an LTS version of Ubuntu you get a "stable" version of
apps but not necessarily the latest versions. By registering you can get
more updated patches (free for personal use for up to 5 systems) whereas
before you had to either install the newer non-LTS version or wait until
the next LTS release.

Thanks. I saw that message tonight when updating and wondered about it
too. I'll think about it. I'm on the Windows 11 Insider channel and that
means a reboot about once a week. At least Ubuntu is a much faster reboot
if it needs one.

[Paul]

Post by rbowman

Post by Jonathan N. Little

Post by Jake M
So, after my back up restoration and updates, at one point during
updating, I got the message that "pro" had to be enabled to be able to
download those.  I checked and it looks like I have to register.  This
is brand new and something I had not come across before.  Safe or not
and is anyone here using it?  Are there hidden fees down the road? 
Just odd that I've never seen such an update before.  Thanks.

When you install an LTS version of Ubuntu you get a "stable" version of
apps but not necessarily the latest versions. By registering you can get
more updated patches (free for personal use for up to 5 systems) whereas
before you had to either install the newer non-LTS version or wait until
the next LTS release.

Thanks. I saw that message tonight when updating and wondered about it
too. I'll think about it. I'm on the Windows 11 Insider channel and that
means a reboot about once a week. At least Ubuntu is a much faster reboot
if it needs one.

The faster reboot, is an older copy of Linux Mint.

Ubuntu, by comparison, is one pudgy boot sequence.
The desktop is a Snap file, as far as I know.

Your Windows 11 may benefit from an SSD. The one improvement
it makes, is boot time, and part of that is the burst of
Defender activity at the start.

Paul

[rbowman]

Post by Paul
Ubuntu, by comparison, is one pudgy boot sequence.
The desktop is a Snap file, as far as I know.

I'd have to get out a stopwatch to time the reboot. My guess is under 10
seconds. I can live with that.

Post by Paul
Your Windows 11 may benefit from an SSD. The one improvement it makes,
is boot time, and part of that is the burst of Defender activity at the
start.

It has a SSD. I only reboot to apply an update. First you watch screens
saying '2% complete' that warn you it may reboot several times. That goes
on forever. When you finally can log in you get 'Hi. Getting things ready
for you'. That's good for a couple of more minutes. I usually hit Restart
and go to lunch.

[Paul]

Post by rbowman

Post by Paul
Ubuntu, by comparison, is one pudgy boot sequence.
The desktop is a Snap file, as far as I know.

I'd have to get out a stopwatch to time the reboot. My guess is under 10
seconds. I can live with that.

Post by Paul
Your Windows 11 may benefit from an SSD. The one improvement it makes,
is boot time, and part of that is the burst of Defender activity at the
start.

It has a SSD. I only reboot to apply an update. First you watch screens
saying '2% complete' that warn you it may reboot several times. That goes
on forever. When you finally can log in you get 'Hi. Getting things ready
for you'. That's good for a couple of more minutes. I usually hit Restart
and go to lunch.

You have a failing Upgrade in the pipe ?

Windows is "keep a screwdriver handy -- some assembly required".

[Picture]

Loading Image...

*******

If it is annoying you, try this.

[Admin window]

DISM /online /cleanup-image /revertpendingactions

If one activity is stuck in the pipe, that can unroll it.

If you use the command prompt window in Troubleshooting from
a Windows 10 installer DVD, you can do this to stop an
update and this may allow access long enough to carry out
further actions (with network cable disconnected).

DISM /image:c:\ /cleanup-image /revertpendingactions

Paul

[rbowman]

Post by Paul

Post by rbowman
It has a SSD. I only reboot to apply an update. First you watch screens
saying '2% complete' that warn you it may reboot several times. That
goes on forever. When you finally can log in you get 'Hi. Getting
things ready for you'. That's good for a couple of more minutes. I
usually hit Restart and go to lunch.

You have a failing Upgrade in the pipe ?

Only once. A 'Windows Next' patch slipped out from the Windows 12 branch.
It failed on Windows 11 of course. While you can defer automatic updates
for 18 hours you can't turn it off completely so every night it would try
again and fail.

Again, the machine is on the Insiders program so an update occurs about
once a week. The normal channel updates are a lot less frequent but still
take much longer than Linux.

[Paul]

Post by rbowman

Post by Paul

Post by rbowman
It has a SSD. I only reboot to apply an update. First you watch screens
saying '2% complete' that warn you it may reboot several times. That
goes on forever. When you finally can log in you get 'Hi. Getting
things ready for you'. That's good for a couple of more minutes. I
usually hit Restart and go to lunch.

You have a failing Upgrade in the pipe ?

Only once. A 'Windows Next' patch slipped out from the Windows 12 branch.
It failed on Windows 11 of course. While you can defer automatic updates
for 18 hours you can't turn it off completely so every night it would try
again and fail.
Again, the machine is on the Insiders program so an update occurs about
once a week. The normal channel updates are a lot less frequent but still
take much longer than Linux.

The Insider program, those are Upgrades once a week. Each week,
you're getting a different version of OS. That's actually an easier level
to patch at. The difference is, you are migrating all the applications
from one OS version to the next, and that takes time. If your Insider had
a lot of programs installed by you, each of those could be pretty slow.
Each week, it is writing out a Windows.old of 15-20GB.

12345.678
^^^^^
Upgrade ^^^
Update

When Windows installs files during an Update, unlike Linux, some of the
files have unresolved dependencies, and there can be a "pool of garbage"
floating in the machine. This is why Cumulatives from two years ago,
can suddenly be seen listed as having "just installed". The way they
manage the computer, is at a different level of granularity than Linux.
And at its base, there is an O(N^2) aspect to it they cannot hide.

Paul

[Marco Moock]

Post by Jake M
So, after my back up restoration and updates, at one point during
updating, I got the message that "pro" had to be enabled to be able
to download those. I checked and it looks like I have to register.
This is brand new and something I had not come across before. Safe
or not and is anyone here using it? Are there hidden fees down the
road? Just odd that I've never seen such an update before. Thanks.

The universe and multiverse parts of the Ubuntu repo isn't maintained
by the Ubuntu team, it is maintained by volunteers instead.
Most times, no updates will be released for a package in an Ubuntu
version if an important update is available upstream.
Ubuntu Pro now offers you those updates because business customers
requested such a service.

For private users, Ubuntu Pro is for free, but needs registration.

[Bud Frede]

Post by Marco Moock

Post by Jake M
So, after my back up restoration and updates, at one point during
updating, I got the message that "pro" had to be enabled to be able
to download those. I checked and it looks like I have to register.
This is brand new and something I had not come across before. Safe
or not and is anyone here using it? Are there hidden fees down the
road? Just odd that I've never seen such an update before. Thanks.

The universe and multiverse parts of the Ubuntu repo isn't maintained
by the Ubuntu team, it is maintained by volunteers instead.
Most times, no updates will be released for a package in an Ubuntu
version if an important update is available upstream.
Ubuntu Pro now offers you those updates because business customers
requested such a service.
For private users, Ubuntu Pro is for free, but needs registration.

I suppose that some businesses wanted an experience more like what
they'd get with RHEL, but to be honest I hadn't heard anyone saying they
were unhappy with Ubuntu Server in terms of updates and lifecycle.

I thought that Ubuntu Pro was an attempt by Canonical to get more
companies to purchase support, and the extra updates you get are an
enticement for the prospective purchaser.

There's probably an element of FOMO too. People see the messages about
how many more updates are available if you buy Pro and eventually
Canonical's recurring revenues go up. :-)

I do think that, if a business is making money using Ubuntu or any other
free software, they should give back to the organization or community
that provides said software. They shouldn't be forced into it, but they
really should want to do it - it makes sense to support things that you
depend upon.

As a home user, I do donate to a number of projects because free
software has made my life much richer and I need to return the favor in
some way. At work, I have always encouraged my employers to support
projects when they use their software.

[Chris]

Post by Bud Frede

Post by Marco Moock

Post by Jake M
So, after my back up restoration and updates, at one point during
updating, I got the message that "pro" had to be enabled to be able
to download those. I checked and it looks like I have to register.
This is brand new and something I had not come across before. Safe
or not and is anyone here using it? Are there hidden fees down the
road? Just odd that I've never seen such an update before. Thanks.

The universe and multiverse parts of the Ubuntu repo isn't maintained
by the Ubuntu team, it is maintained by volunteers instead.
Most times, no updates will be released for a package in an Ubuntu
version if an important update is available upstream.
Ubuntu Pro now offers you those updates because business customers
requested such a service.
For private users, Ubuntu Pro is for free, but needs registration.

I suppose that some businesses wanted an experience more like what
they'd get with RHEL, but to be honest I hadn't heard anyone saying they
were unhappy with Ubuntu Server in terms of updates and lifecycle.
I thought that Ubuntu Pro was an attempt by Canonical to get more
companies to purchase support, and the extra updates you get are an
enticement for the prospective purchaser.
There's probably an element of FOMO too. People see the messages about
how many more updates are available if you buy Pro and eventually
Canonical's recurring revenues go up. :-)
I do think that, if a business is making money using Ubuntu or any other
free software, they should give back to the organization or community
that provides said software. They shouldn't be forced into it, but they
really should want to do it - it makes sense to support things that you
depend upon.

Businesses actually prefer support contracts like this as it's a known
mechanism for paying for software. The OSS modem often confuses
procurement/contracts depts and they refuse to sign up.

Post by Bud Frede
As a home user, I do donate to a number of projects because free
software has made my life much richer and I need to return the favor in
some way. At work, I have always encouraged my employers to support
projects when they use their software.

How well does that go?

[Bud Frede]

Post by Chris

Post by Bud Frede
As a home user, I do donate to a number of projects because free
software has made my life much richer and I need to return the favor in
some way. At work, I have always encouraged my employers to support
projects when they use their software.

How well does that go?

Mixed results. My current employer has started doing this for some
things, but not all of my past employers were receptive.

[Chris]

Post by Bud Frede

Post by Chris

Post by Bud Frede
As a home user, I do donate to a number of projects because free
software has made my life much richer and I need to return the favor in
some way. At work, I have always encouraged my employers to support
projects when they use their software.

How well does that go?

Mixed results. My current employer has started doing this for some
things,

Such as?

Post by Bud Frede
but not all of my past employers were receptive.

Yeah, I suspect that's common. Business doesn't really fit into the OSS
model.

[Marco Moock]

Post by Bud Frede

Post by Marco Moock

Post by Jake M
So, after my back up restoration and updates, at one point during
updating, I got the message that "pro" had to be enabled to be able
to download those. I checked and it looks like I have to register.
This is brand new and something I had not come across before. Safe
or not and is anyone here using it? Are there hidden fees down the
road? Just odd that I've never seen such an update before.
Thanks.

The universe and multiverse parts of the Ubuntu repo isn't
maintained by the Ubuntu team, it is maintained by volunteers
instead. Most times, no updates will be released for a package in
an Ubuntu version if an important update is available upstream.
Ubuntu Pro now offers you those updates because business customers
requested such a service.
For private users, Ubuntu Pro is for free, but needs registration.

I suppose that some businesses wanted an experience more like what
they'd get with RHEL, but to be honest I hadn't heard anyone saying
they were unhappy with Ubuntu Server in terms of updates and
lifecycle.

If they need to use packages in universe, they receive no updates most
time until the next Ubuntu release.
For productive systems, this isn't a good idea.
One example is the cyrus mail system.
Cyradm is broken in 22.04 - not fixed for more than a year.

[rbowman]

Post by Marco Moock
For private users, Ubuntu Pro is for free, but needs registration.

I found I already had an account on Ubuntu One that I'd forgotten about.
'sudo pro attach' with the token enabled the updates. Nothing in the list
was earth-shaking.

It did say

The current kernel (6.5.0-14-generic, x86_64) is not supported by
livepatch.

The supported kernel list ends at 6.2 so I'll ignore that. All I got was
ESM for apps and infrastructure.