Microsoft/vscode

"Download Now" button should respect the used installation method on Linux

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#43,671 opened on Feb 14, 2018

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 (29 comments) (24 reactions) (1 assignee)TypeScript (74,848 stars) (10,221 forks)batch import
feature-requesthelp wantedinstall-updatelinux

Description

Issue Type

Bug

Description

Edit: Originally this issue was specifically about the .deb installation method, but since this problem is not specific to it, I edited the issue to be more general.

How to reproduce

  1. Install (an outdated version of) VS Code using one of the installation methods.
  2. Open VSCode and wait for the (1) to appear on the settings icon.
  3. Click on the settings icon and then on Download Now.

Expected behavior

VSCode starts the download of the latest version's file (when the .tar.gz was used to install VS Code) or instructs the user to run an update through the relevant package manager.

Actual behavior

VS Code always starts the download of the latest version's .tar.gz file.

Possible solution

VS Code could check what type of download was used to install and behave differently based on that. Checking whether a .deb was used could look something like this:

import { spawn } from 'child_process';

export function isDebInstallation(): Promise<boolean> {
  return new Promise(resolve => {
    spawn('dpkg', ['--list', 'code']).on('close', code => {
      resolve(code === 0);
    });
  });
}

Another option would be to include the information about what installation method was used in the release.

VS Code Info

VS Code version: Code 1.20.0 (c63189deaa8e620f650cc28792b8f5f3363f2c5b, 2018-02-07T17:10:15.949Z) OS version: Linux x64 4.13.0-32-generic

Item Value
CPUs Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-4590 CPU @ 3.30GHz (4 x 3300)
Load (avg) 1, 1, 1
Memory (System) 15.61GB (10.31GB free)
Process Argv /usr/share/code/code .
Screen Reader no
VM 0%

Contributor guide

Tech stack
typescriptnodejsshell
Domain
desktop
Issue type
bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-2 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
TypeScriptLinux package management
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
40
Research direction
The issue requires detecting the Linux installation method used (e.g., .deb, .rpm, .tar.gz, snap, flatpak) and then either downloading the appropriate update or instructing the user via their package manager. A possible approach is to check for dpkg/apt for Debian based systems, rpm for Red Hat based, and the presence of snap/flatpak. The code in src/vs/platform/update/electron/main/updateService.ts likely handles the update flow. Look at the spawn calls and how the download URL is constructed. The existing solution in the issue using dpkg is a starting point, but needs to be extended to other methods. Also consider that some installations are managed by the system package manager, so an update may be triggered via apt upgrade instead of downloading a new VS Code version.