Lubuntu 26.04 LTS - Software Sources not working

[nj-dude]

Lubuntu Version:
Lubuntu 26.04 LTS

Desktop Environment (if applicable):
LxQT

Problem Description:
The “Software Sources” app in the main menu under Preferences → Software Sources doesn’t work on 26.04 LTS, the shortcut points to “-E software-properties-qt”, but if the “-E” is removed then it works.

[Actionparsnip]

I suggest you report a bug

[peterwhite23]

@nj-dude

the shortcut points to “-E software-properties-qt”, but if the “-E” is removed then it works.

FWIW, I wonder if that’s supposed to be some variation of sudo -E software-properties-qt, or whatever the GUI equivalent of sudo is on Lubuntu.

I second @Actionparsnip’s suggestion to file a bug report.

[mike2thel54]

Software sources not working is not a bug. Canonical removed GUI access to software sources. You can still access it via command line but apparently canonical doesn’t want the beginner/average user messing with repositories. Whats interesting is you can go to the snap store (or in this case for lubuntu (discover)) and install a 3rd party app that will work similar but doesn’t that defeat the purpose? I think canonical is overreaching with 26.04 and combine that with other decisions they made is going to push me elsewhere going forward. https://www.makeuseof.com/ubuntu-2604-replacing-classic-tools-i-actually-prefer-the-new-ones/

[peterwhite23]

Welcome to the Ubuntu Discourse, @mike2thel54!

OP’s issues has nothing to do with the removed GUI and Canonical’s reasoning for doing so are very sound, as always:

Why we’re saying goodbye to “Software & Updates”

Every so often, something disappears from Ubuntu and it raises big questions. This time it’s “Software & Updates” (software-properties). Joey has been faster than me to talk about this change in his article Ubuntu 26.04 Drops ‘Software & Updates’ Tool from New Installs. If you’ve been using Ubuntu for a while, you probably know this application. It’s where you go when someone tells you to “Enable a repo” or “Check drivers”. It was created in 2004 and later forked from update-manager by Michael…

Plus, OP is using Lubuntu, so shouldn’t even notice that particular change.

@mike2thel54

Whats interesting is you can go to the snap store (or in this case for lubuntu (discover))

What’s even more interesting, is, that “Software & Updates” can still be installed from plain old Ubuntu sources :

sudo apt install software-properties-gtk

I think canonical is overreaching with 26.04

I think you have some kind of latent hostility towards Canonical, probably borne from some “bad press” from some shady actors on the Internet. These changes are all in the name of the best possible UX, especially for total novice users. It has been said more than once that Ubuntu is akin to MacOS in the Linux world:

Framework Pro - Ubuntu Certified

Well, this is exciting! There’s a new Framework Pro coming, and it’s Ubuntu Certified. [image] Here’s the launch video: https://youtu.be/GnOpIQJnYWU

Do watch that video to the end, if you don’t believe the MacOS quote. I can go as far back as Ubuntu Unity which first gave me a real sense of a MacOS experience, only better. But “the internet” didn’t like it, so it had to die.

Yes, it still hurts. And no, the Unity flavor alone won’t cut it for me.

[nj-dude]

Thanks for the replies, and yes, you can run it via command line (sudo software-properties-qt), whatever the case if the distribution (Lubuntu, Ubuntu, etc) or if it is Caninical’s decision then it should be removed from the menu since it could cause confusion and mistaking a “feature” from a bug.

[peterwhite23]

@nj-dude

you can run it via command line (sudo software-properties-qt)

But you don’t have to. My comment was about sudo apt install software-properties-gtk, which will simply bring it back; from then on it will be available in the menu; the point being that Canonical are not taking anything from anyone; it’s in the Debian archives from which Ubuntu is made, after all. Release upgrades shouldn’t remove it from existing installations and new users shouldn’t even know it ever existed. This is just Canonical putting some under lock and key; the key being in the users’ hands all the time, they just need to know where to look.