Upgrade Heron to Ibex?

[craxy890]

(Sorry in advance if this is in the wrong area, but it seems like a pretty general question, not requiring specific support.)

I just recently ordered a Dell Ubuntu system some 5 minutes ago. I noticed that I could only order with Hardy Heron, not Intrepid Ibex, since the former is the LTS option. I'm new to Linux (I operate Vista at home and XP at work) and wondered if upgrading to 8.10 is advisable right out of the box. From what I've read in the release notes, it's mainly upgraded driver support and mobility options. Since I already have a functional (for Vista standards) Vista Laptop on the go, I opted for a Linux desktop PC. I don't need any of the mobility options, and drivers should be supported (I'd hope) since Dell has manufactured this computer for Ubuntu. Should I upgrade right away anyway?

Also, I've started bookmarking pages of software, or procedures I should start with to hit the ground running when I get my order in the mail. I'll continue looking, but if anyone wants to provide any links or suggestions to what they consider important, I'm all ears--or eyes, I guess in this case. Thanks in advance, even if it is just to redirect me to an appropriate area to ask these questions.

[gettinoriginal]

My advice would be to stick with Hardy since it will be totally configured with hardware and drivers. Once you get it, spend time researching via (advanced search) your hardware to see if it is supported in Ibex. Some great reading is here for beginners:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=801404
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=809695

[Spr0k3t]

Congrats on the purchase with Ubuntu. From what I understand, there are some tweaks and changes you can do to help your system run smoother, even with 8.04LTS. The best place to ask about these are over in the Ubuntuforums Dell support (http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=342). However, just sit back and I'm sure one of the many ops will be happy to move the thread for you.

[Vadi]

Like others suggested, I'd recommend checking out driver incompatibilities too. I think there were some issues with certain hardware and that's why Dell doesn't ship 8.10 yet. But, I don't remember the offending hardware name.

[Skripka]

Is there any reason you want to jump to Ibex?

If you're really hot for moving to 8.10, I'd encourage a fresh install of 8.10 rather than "upgrade". I've seen and heard several stories where "upgrade" left a mangled 8.10 install--that was only fixed by a wipe and fresh-install of 8.10.

[Sealbhach]

+1 to sticking with Hardy.

It's not all that different to Ibex and it has Long Term Support. Once you get comfortable with Hardy you could perhaps think about upgrading to Jaunty which will be released in April.


.

[Vadi]

One point is that not everyone might be providing .debs for 8.04, just the latest 8.10

[gettinoriginal]

From wikipedia:
Canonical releases new versions of Ubuntu every six months and supports Ubuntu for eighteen months by submitting security fixes, patches to critical bugs and including minor updates to programs. LTS (Long Term Support) releases, which occur every two years,[6] are supported for three years on the desktop and five years for servers.[7] The current version of Ubuntu, Intrepid Ibex, was released on October 30, 2008, and the upcoming version, Jaunty Jackalope, will be released in April, 2009.

When you read through the forums, there are many threads about hardware conflicts upgrading from 8.04 to 8.10, so we are just trying to caution you to look before you leap :P

[joshmuffin]

I don't know much about the hardware on this dell preloaded version but i do know the version is horrible (see signature below). ("dellbuntu")

I personally found hardy heron very unstable but seeing as its pre-loaded its probably going to be ok.

I know that from your version upgrading to intrepid is disabled.

I would suggest you don't go to intrepid just yet but you do install 8.04 LTS from the CD as the dell version is quite bad.

[doorknob60]

Just stick with Hardy, there's nothing wrong with it, and it's already optimally configured and working. Intrepid should work fine though.

[MisterFlibble84]

If Hardy is doing everything you need it to, then best to stick with it, it is a Long Term Support release (Unless you have Kubuntu).

I ended up going to Ibex because Hardy's kernel had a lot of power management issues for me, and because Kubuntu only had KDE 3.5 (old) or KDE 4 (crashy and incomplete), I figured if Kubuntu Hardy isn't an LTS, I may as well use Kubuntu Ibex and get a better KDE.

[aaaantoine]

Dell historically takes a number of months before distributing the latest version of Ubuntu with new PCs. I don't know what their plans are for the LTS, however.

If they do begin to support 8.10, they will release some software that you can download and install to optimize your hardware support.

[TorqueyPete]

Is there any reason you want to jump to Ibex?

If you're really hot for moving to 8.10, I'd encourage a fresh install of 8.10 rather than "upgrade". I've seen and heard several stories where "upgrade" left a mangled 8.10 install--that was only fixed by a wipe and fresh-install of 8.10.


Amen to that! My intrepid upgrade was a disaster! :(
I'll be trying to sort the old Hardy machine when I have time, but bought a new one yesterday.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v314/petrov/wallet_burning_money_md_wht.gif