Hi everyone. I build about 3 - 4 systems for others with MX Linux every month. Every system is a single user machine where nobody else has any granted access. So every system is a private setup on a machine for a single user.

Although I truly dislike Windows, I do believe that the automatic Windows Update system is much more pleasant, than the updates with MX Linux. It honestly irritates me to have to enter the password every time that I want to install updates on MX Linux computers. I actually had two people complain about this. Considering how these are single user private machines, I can't really fault someone for complaining.

I understand that this could be a problem from distro version to distro version where yay/nay responses may be required, but everything else should certainly (IMO) be able to update without any user input at all ....

So, how do I bypass the need for a password in order to let the update manager do its thing? Almost everyone whom I deal with is a former Windows user. Most of these people do not understand ... NOR DO THEY CARE ... about the technical intricacies which are mentioned in the update manager (terminal) Window. These users don't understand what they're looking at and they just want for the updates to install automatically whenever they're called for. Can this be achieved (easily) and how can this be done?
Thank you.

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Have you looked at unattended upgrades?

For example, https://libre-software.net/ubuntu-automatic-updates/ (Ubuntu, but should still apply to MX Linux?)

I found it amusing that someone actually likes the windows update process The need for a password is for protection. I would follow hydrurga's advice.

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mine are not unintended updates, I just put a alias in my .bashrc and use a simpleminded command that does not take too much typing.
so all one got a do is open a terminal and type whichever one in. sudo is set to nopasswd

sometimes people that use slippers still need to learn how to tie shoes laces.

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And I thought I was the only one that aliased the Void Linux update commands

yeah, and the irony in using 'xp' it always reminds me of using Windows XP

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Thanks to everyone for your input. Will get to work on that within the next few days, to see how that works out with MX Linux. I know there's an easier way to do that though, because our Livingroom Server is also MX Linux and all I did there was to store the keyring password permanently and since then the updates go through automatically, as soon as I click on ... update. Password is not required for updating. That doesn't seem to work with MX Linux 18.2 though. Sure, I use the terminal now and then for stuff that isn't too complex, but my wife whom I switched over to Linux back in 2014, never uses the terminal ever ... and she loves her Linux (Mint with XFCE) machine.

@sevendogsbsd
Well, I used Windows professionally for 18 years, from version 3.11 for Workgroups to every version thereafter. I switched to Linux in 2009 (no dual-booting for me), but always the point n click flavor like Ubuntu, Debian, Xubuntu, Mint, and eventually MX Linux (some others in between). I specifically mentioned single user private computers because in the years that I've been using Linux, I just learned to trust that updates which show up in the update manager as being *NON* critical and *NON* experimental, are there because the developers deem them as safe and good to go. I view those updates and glance over them briefly, but to this day I haven't seen a level 1, 2, or 3 Update that gave me pause and had me reconsider whether or not an item should be updated. So why should I type a password on a single user private machine, if I trust the presented updates that the developers are providing?
After all, we're talking about Linux and not Microsoft.

When I said that I like the Windows update process, I meant the speed that's finally available for updates with Windows 10. I still work on client machines on a regular basis and dread those updates which take anywhere from hours to overnight sometimes. But ever since I've been installing Windows 10 I have to say that the update process ... just the process itself mind you ... has improved significantly.

The password is not about trusting the provider of the updates, it's about privilege escalation. Microsoft has historically done a bad job of presenting and educating users on privilege escalation, whereas Linux and Unix implement this in a clear cut fashion.

As for updates, I was making a joke really: Microsoft has done a great job of coming out with patches for security problems very quickly. They didn't used to but in the past 10 years, this has improved tremendously. My joke was about the actual process: even as a billion dollar company, they have not yet figured out how to chain updates in a enterprise environment. I have worked in multiple enterprise environments (as a user) and patch Tuesday always requires multiple, as many as 3, reboots, because patch set "b" depends on patch set "a" which must be installed first, then the system rebooted. No other OS which I have ever used in my 20+ years of computing has ever done this besides Windows.

Alright, I'm thinking that I may not have expressed myself properly. The only thing that I want to do, is to by-pass the password input which is required *AFTER* viewing the available updates, which then requires the "click" to make the updates begin automatically. Well, almost automatically ... since that's the part where the user password is required.

The people who get my MX Linux laptops generally don't ever use or need the terminal. However, those are the same people who've been getting used to receiving Windows updates on their Windows machines, simply by clicking on ... search for updates ... or whatever Windows used for which ever version at the time. Like I said, I have that working on our MX 17 machine which runs the server in our livingroom and it was very simple to accomplish. This was just a one-time thing though, which is why I don't recall what it was that I did. Silly me for not making a note of it. The password is still needed everywhere else, such as for logging in, opening up synaptic, utilizing gparted, etc. It's just not needed as a confirmation for commencing with the updates.

Bump ... no more thoughts on this ... any MX Gurus out there ... ???

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which software store are you refering to? i doubt it's specific to MX; maybe you need to cast your nets wider.
on the assumption that MX uses XFCE's software store, maybe a search like "Xubuntu software store do not require password" might yield more results.
you can always try with sudoers, but I doubt it'll work.
or generate a passwordless keyring.
all options are of course unsafe: entering a password is a feature, not a bug (and hardly requires mad haxx0r skillz).

To my knowledge the MX Repository is exclusive to either MX or MX and Antix combined. Initially, in version 17 (before 17.1 was released) of Mx Linux, the first time that updates were installed there was also a tick-box, to place a checkmark or an x for saving the keyring password, before clicking on the update button. Either in version 17.1 or in version 18 of MX Linux, that tick-box was no longer there. So now, before commencing with the previewed updates, the password has to be entered. That's what I would like to by-pass since, at least to me with 25+ years of computer experience, I've never felt the need nor any concern about commencing with updates on a SINGLE USER MACHINE that's used strictly and solely for PRIVATE purposes.

Of course I understand the need for security and safety. But that's really more of a relevant issue for business or for families where one computer may be shared amongst several people in the household. If only a single user is having access to that machine, I think it's fair to assume that that user is either going to update automatically ... or not ... by his or her exclusive choice. That should not require a password (IMO).

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that's the repository.
the software store is software that is most likely NOT specific to antix/MX.
accessing the repos does not require password input; installing software on your system does.
so you need to look at the software, not the repos.

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Hmmmm, I'm not sure that I follow what you're suggesting? By Software Store, do you mean everything that's visible within Synaptic? Mx Linux has their own Software Store too, kind a like the Linux Mint Software Store, just not anywhere near as polished. But doesn't the software store run first in line via Synaptic ... followed second in line by appearing with an edited more user friendly display of what Synaptic has to offer ... that being the Distros software store?
As stated, not really sure if I'm understanding your suggestion ...

I wasn't suggesting anything - but I'm suggesting now that you should read up on how all that works, I sense a lot of confusion in your last post.
Here's a Quick Search (tm) for you, the first three links looked interesting. Pay particular attention to everything apt/debian/ubuntu-related.