Why do you update?

[themarker0]

I've been running Karmic, and i'm getting hassled to update. Why would it? My dad said its an old BSD admin saying "If its not %^&*ing broken, don't %^&*ing touch it!" Or at least at his old old job. I see people saying they are leaving ubuntu because 10.04 disappointed them. It disappointed me, so i didn't use it. Why do you update? Most of them are still supported.

This bugs me craploads.

[juancarlospaco]

Because i can.

[mikewhatever]

So, you and your dad never install updates? Sometimes I wonder if the importance of system updates is overestimated.

PS: juancarlospaco, the 'I can' argument is utterly ridiculous. You can jump of a roof or bite off your own finger.

[Sporkman]

You can avoid the temptation to upgrade by clenching really hard (http://health.msn.com/health-topics/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100266193).

[themarker0]

So, you and your dad never install updates? Sometimes I wonder if the importance of system updates is overestimated.


Only if we get an issue. Our local home server still runs FreeBSD 4.


You can avoid the temptation to upgrade by clenching really hard (http://health.msn.com/health-topics/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100266193).


Tell that to others who update. I personally don't care :P

[kaldor]

Only if we get an issue. Our local home server still runs FreeBSD 4.

Awesome.

[eze1969]

I like new stuff. Not a great answer but when ya get old, new stuff starts lookin' pretty good hehe Therefore, I can't help myself but to update...call it a bad leftover habit from using Winblows for too long lol

[Zzl1xndd]

I update because I want the new features. That being said I normally test throughly before applying to update to ensure I will be able to use all my software etc.

That being said, some things I don't update because there is no benefit. For example my Media PC and NAS.

So I guess I upgrade because I see a tangible benefit of doing so.

[NightwishFan]

I like a stable snapshot of the latest libs and kernel for the most part. Essentially I get better multimedia playback and a more responsive system every 6 months.

[ender4]

Because I hope that the next release will be a little bit better than the last one. Sometime's it is, sometime's it isn't. And while your argument that "if it isn't broken, don't fix it" is very good. Something as complex as a software system is bound to have something wrong with it. Each time I update some of the things I found annoying are fixed, some of them aren't, and I find new things to be annoyed about.

But in the end, it's really just a question of whether you like things to say the same, or you like things to change, even if that change isn't necessarily for the better.

[Linye]

Because the latest works better.

[Khakilang]

Because my Update Manager say so.

[NightwishFan]

Because my Update Manager say so.

Update manager says jump I say how high! ;)

[mikewhatever]

I update to get bug fixes and security patches.

[gintovan]

I update because I need too :P
Besides, if it ain't broke, fix it till it is!

[Spice Weasel]

Update manager says jump I say how high! ;)

Just victims of the in-house drive by!

e: brb writing bullet in the head parody

[Grenage]

I update simply to stay current with glitches and bugs - seriously.

I could have kept using my install from 3 years ago; it would have run my apps, performed well, and likely never given me any grief. The problem is, a fully working system doesn't need to be messed with; if I don't mess around with things, I'll forget how to do them.

Being current also makes it more likely that I'll be able to help other users with odd bugs related to the current software of choice.

[imol]

In the real world, "if it isn't broken, don't fix it" is a good mantra, not just from a system stability perspective, but also from a cost perspective.

For example, the system I manage has 15000 client machines in 26 countries - scheduling and sending updates in service windows for all those time zones and supporting those updates is *seriously expensive* (even for a 'gratis' update).

But on my personal machine (which is not even our 'main' home machine), I feel like I can experiment, try new techniques, learn more etc. Plus, I enjoy it :)

IMoL

[mdacova]

For example, the system I manage has 15000 client machines in 26 countries - scheduling and sending updates in service windows for all those time zones and supporting those updates is *seriously expensive* (even for a 'gratis' update).

what do you use to keep so many units upto date?

[Grenage]

For example, the system I manage has 15000 client machines in 26 countries - scheduling and sending updates in service windows for all those time zones and supporting those updates is *seriously expensive* (even for a 'gratis' update).

what do you use to keep so many units upto date?

Quite probably a series of WSUS servers, tied in with group policies.

[mikewhatever]

In the real world, "if it isn't broken, don't fix it" is a good mantra, not just from a system stability perspective, but also from a cost perspective.

For example, the system I manage has 15000 client machines in 26 countries - scheduling and sending updates in service windows for all those time zones and supporting those updates is *seriously expensive* (even for a 'gratis' update).

But on my personal machine (which is not even our 'main' home machine), I feel like I can experiment, try new techniques, learn more etc. Plus, I enjoy it :)

IMoL

What if there is a security hole like -->this one<-- (http://www.vsecurity.com/resources/advisory/20101019-1/). Would it be considered broken and warrant an update, or not?

[mainerror]

I've been running Karmic, and i'm getting hassled to update. Why would it? My dad said its an old BSD admin saying "If its not %^&*ing broken, don't %^&*ing touch it!" Or at least at his old old job. I see people saying they are leaving ubuntu because 10.04 disappointed them. It disappointed me, so i didn't use it. Why do you update? Most of them are still supported.

This bugs me craploads.

I also think the saying is correct but sometimes new versions are not that bad. They introduce new functionality.

What exactly turned you off about Ubuntu 10.04? I personally think it is one of the best versions of Ubuntu.

[limestone]

I just update to fix security or to get a newer package with new funktions.
Otherwise it's not necessary to update. (if you're not an update junkie ^^)

[mdacova]

I just update to fix security or to get a newer package with new funktions.
Otherwise it's not necessary to update. (if you're not an update junkie ^^)


I think I am a update junkie, every time I ssh to a unit and see update available I just have to

[undecim]

On a production machine (i.e. something you depend on)

"If its not %^&*ing broken, don't %^&*ing touch it!"

On your home computer that you only use for web browsing and games

if it ain't broke, fix it till it is!

[lukeiamyourfather]

My dad said its an old BSD admin saying "If its not %^&*ing broken, don't %^&*ing touch it!" Or at least at his old old job.


If you don't want to update, then don't. Though eventually you'll lose the ability to install software from the repositories and get security updates. If updating frequently is annoying then use the LTS releases (supported for three years on the desktop). Personally, I find that 10.04 LTS is the best Ubuntu yet in all aspects and will be supported until April of 2013 on the desktop (2015 on the server).



Why do you update?


I find the new features compelling enough to upgrade. For example VirtualBox has made huge changes in the last year or two in terms of performance and usability. Upgrading to the latest Ubuntu was worth it just to get the latest VirtualBox. I know I could get it through other repositories but I like the convenience and simplicity of using the official repositories. Other features like the substantial boot and shutdown performance were well worth the upgrade too. There are many other features in other applications but you get the idea, it just keeps getting better.

If all you do is check email and browse the web then you might not care what version of Ubuntu you have since they all do that relatively well. For me though, I always find delight in the latest version.

[imol]

For example, the system I manage has 15000 client machines in 26 countries - scheduling and sending updates in service windows for all those time zones and supporting those updates is *seriously expensive* (even for a 'gratis' update).

what do you use to keep so many units upto date?

We use our own internal tools - this particular system runs on Windows (I know, I know), but we have developed some pretty cool tools for remote software installation and monitoring. It's made more complicated by the fact that this particular system has a 99,7% availability requirement during business hours (which are normally 0800-2100 local time), so we have to roll updates during dark hours.

IMoL

[imol]

What if there is a security hole like -->this one<-- (http://www.vsecurity.com/resources/advisory/20101019-1/). Would it be considered broken and warrant an update, or not?

It depends on the problem. In the case of a theoretical security hole, once a patch is available there is a period of internal regression testing, then it will be released for update scheduling. This applies to our Linux and Windows systems equally, BTW - we don't rely on MS's testing of Windows patches, we test them ourselves before sending them out to client machines.

There's actually enough updates going out that we can usually bundle things together and send multiple things at once (we have to fit the updates into service windows anyway - we can't send updates during business hours).

IMoL

[handy]

I don't.

I upgrade my entire system, usually everyday.

That is the benefit of using a rolling release system based Linux distro.

In over 2.5 years of using Arch I have had only one handful of problems. Which once you learn how to undo (which is incredibly easy & quick, provided you keep the previous versions of the installation files - usually binary - in your cache).

I wrote a how-to here for anyone who is interested:

http://spiralinear.org/index.php?topic=12.0

[bigsmitty64]

I like a stable snapshot of the latest libs and kernel for the most part. Essentially I get better multimedia playback and a more responsive system every 6 months.
:guitar: