How do I know which updates are relevant to my system when I receive notification that updates are available?

Yes, the version on the repos and PPAs you added have a later version than you have installed so will be marked for update. Install them all is advised.

What's a repos?
What's a PPAS?

So I should just trust that the "system" knows what it is doing and blindly
install whatever it wants me to install?

Thanks for your help!

On Tue, Dec 6, 2011 at 5:35 PM, actionparsnip <
<email address hidden>> wrote:

> Your question #181106 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/181106
>
> Status: Open => Answered
>
> actionparsnip proposed the following answer:
> Yes, the version on the repos and PPAs you added have a later version
> than you have installed so will be marked for update. Install them all
> is advised.
>
> --
> If this answers your question, please go to the following page to let us
> know that it is solved:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/181106/+confirm?answer_id=0
>
> If you still need help, you can reply to this email or go to the
> following page to enter your feedback:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/181106
>
> You received this question notification because you asked the question.
>

Correction: the command is "sudo add-apt-repository"

Thanks KushalSharma, that solved my question.

Thanks for your time and effort. There, apparently, is no easy answer.
 The answer you provided is above my head so I will just continue to accept
and do whatever the system suggests.

Take Care!
Thanks again for your time

On Tue, Dec 6, 2011 at 6:00 PM, KushalSharma <
<email address hidden>> wrote:

> Your question #181106 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/181106
>
> Status: Open => Answered
>
> KushalSharma proposed the following answer:
> I can't fully answer the first two questions, but for your third one,
> here are my thoughts:
>
> Did you add any new repositories since you installed your operating
> system? If not, you're advised to trust what the "system" is doing and
> let it update. If you have, however, added new repositories (ever done
> the command, "sudo apt-add-repository .. " or used "software sources" to
> add new repositories?), then you might want to check if everything
> that's on that repository is worth installing or upgrading. Let me
> explain this in a bit more detail:
>
> Say, you found a new audio player XYZ. You go to your software center
> and search for that player to install it. And you realize that the
> software center doesn't have it. You go to the application's website and
> see that there's a PPA you need to add to install that software. Say,
> the ppa is called something like "ppa:audio-team/xyz". You would use the
> command:
>
> sudo apt-add-repository ppa:audio-team/xyz
>
> Once you add this command, your software center now knows what software
> this repository holds (ideally, it should be just the audio player and
> its required packages). However, sometimes such a repository could have
> upgraded or modified versions of packages your system already has too!
> When I'm in such a situation and my PC ask me if I'd like to update
> everything, I usually just remove that repository and find a separate
> .deb file to install the new software. That way, I know I'm not
> upgrading something from a potentially untested source.
>
> I know that instead of answering your question directly, my answer tells
> you what my preference is; but I believe what I do is the conservative
> way of doing things without taking too much risk on a system you may not
> fully understand. Let me know if that helped.
>
> --
> If this answers your question, please go to the following page to let us
> know that it is solved:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/181106/+confirm?answer_id=2
>
> If you still need help, you can reply to this email or go to the
> following page to enter your feedback:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/181106
>
> You received this question notification because you asked the question.
>

Hi John

If you have the time, please allow me to understand some more background information about this:

Are you a long-time Ubuntu user? Have you worked on any type of Linux system previously?

Are you familiar with the way you would install any software on a Windows computer? (I know this seems unrelated, but it has a link with the way you can understand how Linux updates work).

Best

Kushal

Hi Kushal,
   Once again, thank you for your time. I am new to Linux/Ubuntu. I am 62
years old and have used Windows since it has existed. I don't understand
these issues in Windows any better than I do in Linux. I just was curious
if there was an answer out there to this question. For many many years I
have, like most other users, blindly upgraded whenever Windows said to do
so. Apparently I should do the same here in the Linux world?

Take Care!
 John

On Tue, Dec 6, 2011 at 7:25 PM, KushalSharma <
<email address hidden>> wrote:

> Your question #181106 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/181106
>
> KushalSharma posted a new comment:
> Hi John
>
> If you have the time, please allow me to understand some more background
> information about this:
>
> Are you a long-time Ubuntu user? Have you worked on any type of Linux
> system previously?
>
> Are you familiar with the way you would install any software on a
> Windows computer? (I know this seems unrelated, but it has a link with
> the way you can understand how Linux updates work).
>
> Best
>
> Kushal
>
> --
> You received this question notification because you asked the question.
>

The repos are the Canonical maintained sources for packages, when you install applications and updates, you will use these servers, much like windows updates, except you can install extra programs from the repos which you cannot do in Windows.

PPAs are 3rd party source of packages and are not maintained by Canonical but the same applies. By default you will have no PPAs added.

Thank you!

On Tue, Dec 6, 2011 at 10:20 PM, actionparsnip <
<email address hidden>> wrote:

> Your question #181106 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/181106
>
> actionparsnip posted a new comment:
> The repos are the Canonical maintained sources for packages, when you
> install applications and updates, you will use these servers, much like
> windows updates, except you can install extra programs from the repos
> which you cannot do in Windows.
>
> PPAs are 3rd party source of packages and are not maintained by
> Canonical but the same applies. By default you will have no PPAs added.
>
> --
> You received this question notification because you asked the question.
>