Arch Linux

Arch Linux has more updates more frequently than most mainstream distros, once of the reasons I use it for many years. But it also mean that a weekly update can easily pull close to 100 packages, which makes it really hard to see what's being updated (with all the low-level libraries and dependencies mixed in).

Quite often, the kernel and video drivers are updated, which means a reboot is warranted for long term stability. Sometimes, they aren't, and I can continue running the machine as is. However, because the package list is bundled in alphabetical order and mixed high level stuff with low level libraries and dependencies, I always spend some time looking through the package list, looking for things like `linux` and `nvidia`. Because `lib*` and `lin(ux)` are often close to each other, it's often a pain to find it, so I usually only update the packages when I'm turning it off anyway.

For work, I have to use Ubuntu, and its update manager does something that helps me know what high-level packages are being updated and if I need a reboot or not after the upgrade. Pacman could have a similar functionality without being bloated like Ubuntu's "package manager".

For example, there could be a display option that groups packages that were installed directly (or by the core meta-packages) from their dependencies (lib*, python-*, etc), and could also either list separately or colour differently packages that require reboots (linux and drivers that are compiled into the kernel, like nvidia).