Re: How to select updates for my version of Ubuntu?
Originally Posted by
germeten-i
My computer has begun to run very slow. I thought it might be the Update Manager co-opting system resources.
Almost certainly not - think about what Update Manager does, it periodically (every day) checks for updates and then does nothing until the next day. Merely displaying a symbol does not even use 1% of CPU power.
There are too many update apps and I don't know which one's I need for my system and which ones I don't need, vs. merely desirable. (I have no idea what KDE, gnome, etc. mean) Last time I installed them all and my tech friend had to deinstall some because they weren't needed and hindered performance. I don't like being dependent on my tech friend.
Updates will never use more resources than the previous version, unless something is very drastically wrong. Updates within one version of Ubuntu are very conservative - bug fixes or security fixes only, no new features. You can safely install all updates, remember they are only updates for packages you already have, and they replace the old versions.
I tend to have lots of open browser windows and need to restart often just to have a semblance of speed. If it's not the browser, what's slowing me down? I have over 2 Ghz processor, a gig of memory and 10mbs connection which was more than adequate for speed months ago, but now everything is slow as molasses and I get nothing done.
This depends on what is slow - is it just that web pages load slowly, or does your computer actually take longer to open programs and do non-web-related tasks?
If it's just that the CPU seems to be running slower, you can try running this command:
It will show you what is using the largest amount of CPU power, if your computer is supposed to be fairly idle and yet one program stays at the top of the list with a large amount of CPU% (more than a couple of percent) then it is likely the culprit and you could try killing that program (press K, type the "PID" number and hit Enter, then type 9 and hit Enter).
I try to treat the cause, not the symptom. I avoid the terminal in instructions, unless it's easier or necessary. My instructions will work within the Ubuntu system, instead of breaking or subverting it. Those are the three guarantees to the helpee.
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