Fed2date

Image: Fed2date Logo

I utilize Fedora Linux 38 as my primary operating system on my workstation, a choice rooted in my penchant for keeping my software environment up to the minute. For many, particularly those using GNOME, system updates are a breeze thanks to the graphical interface of GNOME Software.

In essence, GNOME Software serves as a user-friendly gateway for installing applications, conducting system updates, and managing both rpm apps and flatpaks. Once updates are complete, a simple prompt to reboot the computer wraps up the process. While this fulfills the needs of an average user, power users often seek additional control and flexibility. Catering to this need, I developed a comprehensive script named Fed2date.

Primarily, the script ensures the presence of requisite utilities, namely rpmconf, flatpak, and *remove-retired-packages (more on them later).

Following this initialization, the script embarks on refreshing all metadata from your associated software repositories, segueing into the execution of a standard system update via sudo dnf -y update.

The script then deploys rpmconf, a utility that scrutinizes all installed packages for potential configuration file conflicts. For each detected conflict, it provides options to either retain your current configuration, adopt the new one bundled with the package, or review the differences between both.

In the interest of maintaining security, the script checks for and installs any available security updates, thereafter executing remove-retired-packages. This utility identifies packages that have been retired or removed across different versions of Fedora, a particularly handy feature when upgrading from one version to another.

To streamline the system further, the script removes obsolete kernels, retaining only the currently used kernel and a backup. This ensures the system is never left kernel-less.

Lastly, the script updates all your flatpak apps. As these apps are sandboxed, a general system update does not affect them.

On completion, the script presents three options: to reboot, poweroff, or exit the terminal. This ensures a smooth transition, depending on the user’s needs.

Fed2date goes beyond simply updating your operating system and applications - it cleans up obsolete packages, refreshes your repositories, and optimizes your system for enhanced performance. However, due to the complexity of the script, I do not recommend to run it everyday. Once every month is more than enough.

Installation

You can always access the latest version of the script on my Codeberg repo:  
https://codeberg.org/CYBERHUB/Fed2date. 

Feel free to share your thoughts, suggestions, or contributions to the project.

Fed2date is licensed under the Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal license, a permissive license that permits all types of reuse provided compliance with the license terms. Often interpreted as a waiver of all copyrights and related rights, it essentially releases the work into the public domain. For the detailed terms of the Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal license, please refer to the LICENSE file.