You know how I do it in PCLinuxOS? There’s a quick-launch button that opens Synaptic that I push, enter my password, and the program opens. I hit “Reload” “Mark Updates” and “Apply”. That’s how easy it is to stay up-to-date.
If I want to put on a piece of software before leaving Synaptic, I search for it, mark for installation, hit “Apply” and hit”Apply” again. It is then installed, applies changes and it’s done. EXTREMELY easy, simple, safe, and because it came from a PCLinuxOS repository, it’s been found to work, conform to PCLOS’ standards, and I can get support from the PCLOS website.
If I want to download something NOT in the repository, Im’ on my own, no support. But the whole idea of a repository is making sure a package is compatible and available.
PCLinuxOS is an example of repos done right.
They seriously need an updated .iso, though. The one they have is more than a year old, and the updates amount to nearly a gigabyte. Worth it, but off-putting for newbies.