I've done a LOT of installing a contrib node in past few days and I think it would be very nice if there was just one search box and it shows all matching nodes (both installed and available) and then just showed status for each one in the list
e.g.
There are lots of different ways this UI could be arranged. If you want to suggest something different, could you spell out what benefits your proposal brings? Why is it a better design? What problems does it solve?
Use the same UI but remove the Install button
Just mix the installed nodes with the available ones (imagine the two images above are combined into one)
The main issue (for me) is not remembering to click on Install option - so I type simplet and simpletime doesn't show up as an option as its not installed - then I remember to click Install but I have to re-type simplet
If just one common list - then no confusion for befuddled muggles like me 
The entries could prob stay exactly as they are - maybe add an explicit installed label on the installed ones would make sure no-one was confused?
Maybe some mileage in putting the installed ones at the top??
I would want a way of just seeing installed ones, often I look at that to see what is installed and what can be updated. Also what is installed but not used.
Would the problem be solved if the search field did not clear on switching tab?
That would be an improvement but I type the minimum number of chars until the option I'm looking for appears so not ideal for me
But I'm not sure if my FE could be made compatible with your use case
[edit] @Colin
mmm - maybe we could just add a dropdown option thingy (both/just installed/ just available)?
[/edit]
About the Palette, I’m always facing the same issue every time I’m updating the nodes. I need to search for the update label on each and every line of the list.
Would it be possible to get a filter like Outdated to correspond to the commands npm outdated?
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Perhaps if it was a table view with a column for name, installed, in use, updatable (is that the lot) then you could click the column headings and sort it the way you want at the time.
Before everyone chips in with proposed changes, I'm still more interested in getting a better sense of the problems people have with the current design. Without that clearly described, there's no way to evaluate whether any changes would address the actual problems.
I have the same grudge as @Colin, it'd be very convenient to see the nodes with updates. Even better with an update all button.
I have also felt the search for installed and available nodes is quite not right. If I search for something it's usually to install something, only secondarily to uninstall or to check if I already have a node installed. So the default view state seems most often not what I'm trying to accomplish.
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When I want to update nodes via the palette, I generally scroll down the list clicking 'update' as I go, but many nodes need a node-RED restart, and as this can take a few minutes for the updates to complete, it's often difficult to know when the last node has been updated, before restarting.
Also, instead of scrolling down the list and individually checking each node, I too would find a 'update all' button a welcome option.
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I wouldn't call it a grudge, just considering marginal improvements on UI that might make a brilliant product even better.
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It wasn't the best choice of word to describe it even from my own view but as a non-native I couldn't come up with a better word at the time and went for it. "Slight feeling of inconvenience" was what I was after.
Yes, that sums it up. Not sure there is a word for that 
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