Automatic updates for mintupdate and versions when they go out of support

[Ben136KBC]

I love linux mint and you can set it to automatically apply updates. However, if you set up a machine for someone not very computer literate and you tell them it is set to automatically update they do not need to worry, you may come by a year later to see that updates have stopped. Why? Automatic updates does not seem to update minupdate and also does not upgrade to a newer version of linux mint if the current version goes out of maintenance.

So please add a "Keep my machine working" option, which applies updates automatically, but also updates mintupdate and also upgrades to newer versions when need be. So the user never has to manually apply any updates.

[billyswong]

Auto upgrade to newer version of Linux Mint is too risky to automate.

But the Update Manager itself ought to be part of the "automatic update", no need to even hide it behind any extra options.

[Ben136KBC]

Which is riskier...
A computer that does not update at all for a year with a user using it and having no idea how to update.
or
It updates automatically, even to a new version if need be, if the person configuring says, just update and keep working because nobody is going to hold your hand to do it.

[Ben136KBC]

All I am asking for is an option to automatically do that, so people who set computers up for people who have no idea, can know that it will keep updating and being safe.

[mtwebster]

If automatic updates are enabled, they should continue regardless of whether the running mintupdate thinks it needs an update.

You'll keep getting upstream (Ubuntu) updates for Mint releases when they go EOL, but Mint itself does not backport newer packages, except in very extreme circumstances.

As for automatically upgrading to new releases, there is always a potential for regressions, and a backup is recommended for this reason. You're assuming 'new packages == better security', which isn't necessarily the case, either - changes bring potential for new regressions. Upgrading a major release (Mint 21 to 22, for example) has extreme potential for breaking your system. It's just not worth it.

This is just a bad idea - leaving automatic updates enabled is fine, and you'll continue to get long-term security fixes, except for browsers - if you want to cover that, install a flatpak-based browser, and make sure automatic flatpak updates are also enabled.