Handling Defaults on Upgrade

Registered by Rick Spencer

This blueprint has been superseded. See the newer blueprint "Upgrading user configuration after package update" for updated plans.

Currently Ubuntu strives to move users to new defaults in cases where they are using old defaults. However, a common case is that a user has changed from a default setting, and then changed again back to the defaults. The presence of the setting, though it is the default, is registered during upgrade as a choice to *not* override. Users who prefer defaults then because confused when new defaults are not applied.

Can we address this situation while still respecting actually changes from the default experience?

Blueprint information

Status:
Complete
Approver:
Rick Spencer
Priority:
Low
Drafter:
Sebastien Bacher
Direction:
Needs approval
Assignee:
Sebastien Bacher
Definition:
Superseded
Series goal:
None
Implementation:
Unknown
Milestone target:
None
Completed by
Sebastien Bacher

Related branches

Sprints

Whiteboard

Work items:
[desrt] talk to mclasen about teaching the gsettings migration tool about scripts too:
[ted] talk to the design team about documenting changes in the new version after upgrade and allow users to get the new experience:
[seb128] talk to vuntz about having the gsettings migration code going to gnome-session:
do the gsettings tool changes:
list cases where migration is needed:
use the new system for those:

UDS notes:
How to we deal with user settings in place:
- it's good that we keep user settings on upgrade but we don't communicate nicely about the changes in the new version

ideas:
- What about displaying notes about the new version after first login on upgrade
- Displaying those in a slideshow during the upgrade...issue is how to find those after upgrade?
- Changing the "about Ubuntu" dialog to have informations about the current version

We could open the software-center after first login since it was open during upgrade until reboot

Do upgrade in an limited "upgrade" session and not a normal one

During changes on first login after upgrade:
- gsettings migration in gconf git now, run on every login, check in a directory for things to do

2 cases:
- doing tweaking that needs to be done on upgrade, i.e setting indicator applet in the configuration
- have a way to maybe trigger interactive dialogs asking if you want ie use the new theme

should that tool be run after upgrade for people not restarting their session?
- not really, concerns only unstable users and often session restart is required

One set of notes after upgrade describing the changes: it's difficult to make it match the installed components

gsettings doesn't have a way to tell if user config = system default

(?)

Work Items