Ubuntu
software-center package

Softwares are not up-to date when verified with vendor

Asked by vamsi thota

Binary package hint: software-center

Ubuntu Software Center 3.0.7
Ubuntu 10.10- the Maverick Meerkat
all software available are upto date
but they are not for example vuze the available version on software center is 4.3 released version by developer is 4.6

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.10
Package: software-center 3.0.7
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.35-26.46-generic 2.6.35.10
Uname: Linux 2.6.35-26-generic i686
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
Architecture: i386
Date: Sun Feb 13 23:22:07 2011
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat" - Release i386 (20101007)
PackageArchitecture: all
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=en_US.utf8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: software-center

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This question was originally filed as bug #718286.

Revision history for this message
vamsi thota (vamsi3001) said : 		#1
Revision history for this message
actionparsnip (andrew-woodhead666) said : 		#2

Ubuntu is not a rolling release so packages which have no been reviewed recently will become 'old' This doesn't mean they do not work and if there is a significant security risk in an app which is cured in a later version then a bug should be logged siting the newer version as a fix.

There are 3rd party PPAs which you may use to get later versions of software but the software getting old is simply not a bug, its to ensure the stability of the OS, using slightly older versions which have been tested in the OS as good to give new users of Linux a sound experience rather than pushing for the latest stuff and it the experience being degraded.

Revision history for this message
mycae (mycae) said : 		#3

This is not a bug. This is part of the packaging process; a process that takes time.

Imagine that Developer A is using version 1 of a particular library, and developer B has just started using version 2.

Now imagine that version 1 and version 2 of this library cannot stand side by side (say library version 2 has changed the way the on-disk file format uses, due to problems with version 1). Clearly developer A's program and developer B's program cannot be in the repository at the same time.

Clearly if ubuntu wants the latest version of developer B there are few options:

1) Someone needs to modify developer A's program to work with version 2 of the library
2) The newer version of developer B's program must be withheld until developer A update to version 2
3) Developer A's program can be dropped from the repository

After doing this, there is a stabilisation window in the upstream project where ~80% of ubuntu's packages come from (debian). This period is between a few weeks and a few months.

Because of this issue, (or similar with any common resource), whilst individual programs might work, it is the goal of ubuntu (or any linux distribution) to make sure they all work well together.

Due to the above concerns, and the workload associated with this, there is often a gap between "latest and greatest", and what is offered by the repository.

If you wish to install the latest and greatest, you can, just not from the repository.

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