Software update alert when there isn't any need

General Help
#1

I'm running Zorin Ultimate 15.3
I have software update set to periodically check for updates and alert me. I still tend to apply updates from the command line only bc. I have a historic (and most likely, irrational) distrust of GUI-based SW updaters under Linux. Regardless ...

For the past week, I get a notice every other day that updates are ready. When I drop to the cmdln and run sudo apt update && sudo apt list --upgradable I'm shown that nothing is needed. However, gnome-software is insisting that there's something to update. When I click on the notification message and Software opens, I see the following:

Sorry, something went wrong: failed to get origin-hostname: Remote "flathub" not found

When I dismiss this, a single item remains in the Software list:

GNOME Application Platform version 40
The GNOME runtime is appropriate for any application that uses the GNOME platform. The runtime is layered on top of the Freedesktop run...

When I click on this item, I get the following:

runtime/org.gnome.Platform/x86_64/40 No update description available.

So apt thinks there are no updates and Software thinks there is but can't really tell me about it.
What's up with this? What should I do?

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#2

Do you use any flatpak software?

#3

Yes; I recently installed HydraPaper. It allows me to set two different wallpaper images for my dual-monitor landscape/portrait setup.

#4

Flathub and flatpak appear to be causing some issues.
Interestingly, Hydrapaper should be in the multiverse repo...

But it is also available as a .deb
http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/universe/h/hydrapaper/hydrapaper_2.0.2-1_all.deb

If it was me, I would

flatpak remove hydrapaper

then

sudo apt remove --purge flatpak

Then install hydrapaper .deb as above

(Just to check, you can run sudo apt dist-upgrade)

Then reboot and test the updater.

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#5

I'm all for uninstalling unneeded apps; if I can find HydraPaper elsewhere, woot!

However, when I run flatpak list I got the following:

Zorin-95
ZorinBlue-Dark
ZorinBlue-Light
ZorinGreen-Dark
ZorinGreen-Light
ZorinGrey-Dark
ZorinGrey-Light
ZorinOrange-Dark
ZorinOrange-Light
ZorinPurple-Dark
ZorinPurple-Light
ZorinRed-Dark
ZorinRed-Light

So ... does that not mean there are system components that need FlatPak?

#6

those themes are flatpak packages to flatpak apps. you can safely remove them.
Ofcause you can also keep them, if you want to install any other flatpak.

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#7

No. The Zorin Themes are included in Flatpak but also included in apt and in your /usr/share/themes directory. You safe to remove those if you are removing Flatpak since only Flatpak apps would call on those Flatpaked Zorin themes.

EDIT: Storms reply above did not show up on my screen 'til after I submitted my post. :stuck_out_tongue:

#8

I'm using "Ninja Submit" option :stuck_out_tongue:

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