Panaias: Thanks for taking the time to reply, but you didn't really answer my question (does Galaxy auto-check your backup installer files & only update if needed?). Also, excuse me if I gave you the impression that I'm some kind of "noob" (is this the correct term used by small kids today?), I actually am a programmer & have my experience around CLIs and GUIs. In terms of usability, e.g. for gogrepo, I also have to first open the command line, enter the path to gogrepo.py & then try to remember all usage args for what I need to achieve (check only updated games, check for new games, skip my hidden ones, etc. etc.). I am not complaining or anything, I just believe that a GUI would relieve me of such tasks & do the magic in the background (e.g. in gogrepo how do you exclude a specific game? do you remember all IDs of all your games?).
edit: just wanted to clarify that my reply was not written in an offensive way, so I hope you don't take it the wrong way (I just re-read what I wrote) :) I personally use gogrepo very often, I like it very much & my reply does not "bash" gogrepo as a tool
I was referring to your interest in a "less manual way", and pointing out that to me it doesn't seem like Galaxy provides a less manual way for a few things you mentioned. If anything, more to do or sometimes just different, like clicking on a command instead of typing it (either way, that the command exists and what it is still has to be remembered, or jotted down in a note somewhere).
Perhaps your focus is maintaining a set of installer files for your games, in particular the latest versions? Have you tried to access such a list of installer files from within Galaxy (while you are trying it out)? My understanding is that it does not provide such a listing within its interface.
Games installed? Check. On the lefthand side. Games that can be installed? Check. Your games library. Installer files? Doesn't seem like it keeps them. But do have a look and see whether you can find something within the Galaxy interface. If not, then Galaxy is probably not going to be an acceptable replacement for that. I recall someone saying there is an option in the menu on a game page for an installed game (by clicking on the game in the Installed Games listing on the left side) to reveal the folder with the installed game. Maybe that menu is also where an option for revealing the installer file would be.
There is supposed to be a way to prevent Galaxy from auto-updating the games, even on a per game basis. So, in a way Galaxy can update the installed games. Whether it keeps the installers afterwards would seem to be your main question.
If Galaxy actually does keep the installer files someplace, but just doesn't provide the listing in its interface, then that will probably mean having to dig through the files and folders of the system to reach those "backup files". But that's still a PUI, the operating system's file explorer application, so in a way that fits what your looking for (replacing the CLI approach).
Not sure that matches with whatever routine you are trying to replace. I mean, you seem to be asking for particular detail. It seems to me if you don't see it in the Galaxy interface, then it simply isn't provided. Having to figure out workarounds for a new approach seems potentially an undesirable replacement for a current routine. But hopefully it's just a matter of discovering something that is already there.