apt-get update ?

[solo2500]

I'm a total novice, non-programer (...basically a hack.)
Today I ran apt-get update before I installed a peripheral package. A few hours later I noticed a few things not running (like the WiFi). I rebooted the Pi and all started working again. It had been 4 to 6 weeks since the last time I updated things.

Is this common?

Any thoughts appreciated!

[DougieLawson]

If your apt-get updated the kernel version then you'll have a running kernel with no matching /lib/modules/`uname -r` directory. That should prompt apt-get to recommend that you reboot (but it doesn't).

The thing to do is read the messages that are emitted when you're running apt-get, they tell you (in glorious detail) what's being updated.

[HawaiianPi]

I'm a total novice, non-programer (...basically a hack.)
Today I ran apt-get update before I installed a peripheral package. A few hours later I noticed a few things not running (like the WiFi). I rebooted the Pi and all started working again. It had been 4 to 6 weeks since the last time I updated things.

Is this common?

Any thoughts appreciated!

I assume you meant sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade, because apt-get update by itself does nothing but update the software packages list. It's apt-get upgrade, or apt-get dist-upgrade that actually installs the newer packages.

To expand a bit on what Dougie said above, on a more typical Linux system (in oversimplified terms), upgrade only updates installed packages and does not upgrade the kernel, while dist-upgrade will upgrade or replace packages as needed, install new packages if part of the upgrade, and upgrade major things like the kernel. Normally a reboot is not needed for upgrade, but it often is after a dist-upgrade.

Now Raspbian, in all its non-standard strangeness, seems to treat upgrade and dist-upgrade the same, but it does not tell you if you need to reboot afterword.

[fruitoftheloom]

I'm a total novice, non-programer (...basically a hack.)
Today I ran apt-get update before I installed a peripheral package. A few hours later I noticed a few things not running (like the WiFi). I rebooted the Pi and all started working again. It had been 4 to 6 weeks since the last time I updated things.

Is this common?

Any thoughts appreciated!

I assume you meant sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade, because apt-get update by itself does nothing but update the software packages list. It's apt-get upgrade, or apt-get dist-upgrade that actually installs the newer packages.

To expand a bit on what Dougie said above, on a more typical Linux system (in oversimplified terms), upgrade only updates installed packages and does not upgrade the kernel, while dist-upgrade will upgrade or replace packages as needed, install new packages if part of the upgrade, and upgrade major things like the kernel. Normally a reboot is not needed for upgrade, but it often is after a dist-upgrade.

Now Raspbian, in all its non-standard strangeness, seems to treat upgrade and dist-upgrade the same, but it does not tell you if you need to reboot afterword.

https://linux.die.net/man/8/apt-get

[dasmanul]

Now Raspbian, in all its non-standard strangeness, seems to treat upgrade and dist-upgrade the same

That does not conform to my experience of Raspbian behaving exactly as described in @fruitoftheloom's link.

[solo2500]

THANKS all!
Slowly but surely I'm starting to understand (with a lot of forum help!) how this device works.