update-manager captures focus too often - interferes with other applications

Binary package hint: update-manager

Update manager grabs focus many times, and some are unnecessary. This drives me bananas, because I start the system updating, then go off and do some useful work. Invariably, just when I'm typing or clicking, update-manger grabs the focus to tell me it's done. Or something. Personally, I'd have been happier if my typing or clicking had gone to the right window.

The real issue is that some of the things that update manager wants to tell me are not high priority. If something does not *really* require my action, I'd prefer that it did not grab focus. I'll get to it eventually.

The worst offense is when it (a) tells me it is done, and then (b) grabs the focus again to check (again) for updates, and then (almost invariably) tells me that there are no updates. This is particularly troublesome because it happens after a minute or two of silence. By that point, I'm deeply involved in something else.

$ lsb_release -rd
Description: Ubuntu 8.10
Release: 8.10
stars:~$
~$ apt-cache policy update-manager
update-manager:
  Installed: 1:0.93.35
  Candidate: 1:0.93.35
  Version table:
 *** 1:0.93.35 0
        500 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com intrepid-proposed/main Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     1:0.93.34 0
        500 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com intrepid-updates/main Packages
     1:0.93.32 0
        500 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com intrepid/main Packages
stars:~$