Is it worth the trouble to upgrade?

[jonrkc]

I have really enjoyed using Ubuntu Hoary Hedgehog for the past more than a half year--much more than the popular distro I was using before that. For one thing, software additions and upgrades via apt or Synaptic are MUCH more foolproof and about ten times easier than with the RPM method--at least I always had a lot of trouble with RPM's.

But one thing I have never enjoyed about computers is the constant upgrading. I'm very much inclined to wait till at least version 6 of Ubuntu, or even 7, before upgrading again. Because every time I upgrade, I have to spend two to three days, several hours (like eight or nine sometimes) a day, getting my old standby programs working right again, and some, like lmsensors and apcupsd, are very tricky to set up, even if you save the old files you've been using.

I keep current with all the security updates. I suppose Hoary will be orphaned before I'm really in the mood to upgrade again, so I will lose out on security at that point. However, I'm not sure but what the trade-off is worth it--unlike in Windows, where you can't afford to ignore any security patches. I realize Linux is vulnerable, and I take precautions (firewall, rootkit check, antivirus) but at the same time I'm realistic enough to know the risk is pretty low getting into serious security trouble. I do not run a server, or my attitude would be different here.

So my question, after that preamble, is: In your opinion, is Breezy significantly better so that I should devote a big chunk of time to getting it going the way I need it to? Or, comfortable as I am with Hoary, would I make a good decision to wait for version 6 or 7?

Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any opinions.

[aysiu]

There are little things here and there that make Breezy "better," mainly some GUI frontends for things that were already in Hoary. Honestly, though, Hoary's just fine. I think your best bet is to stick with Hoary for now, upgrade to Breezy when Dapper comes out and upgrade to Dapper when the next release comes out.

Some people just don't need cutting edge. If Breezy becomes stable, I doubt I'll upgrade to Dapper for a long while.

[Jenda]

All I can say is: Hoary works. Hoary will be supported for another year. Breezy is sweet, but not cyber.

[xequence]

Version 6 or 7? You mean as in 6.04, 6.10, 7.04, and 7.10? Breezy is the third version. 5.10 means october 2005.

If you are worried, dont upgrade. There are some cool things in breezy but not worth it if you think you wont be able to get things working. As for me, I like the smell of a freshly installed OS in the morning ;)

[Jenda]

OT: Wow xequence. Just read the RIAA article in your sig. And to think i just left Canada after a year of studying there (without broadband)... I have no clue about my country's laws, but I know one thing for sure: no one gives a ...

[xequence]

OT: Wow xequence. Just read the RIAA article in your sig. And to think i just left Canada after a year of studying there (without broadband)... I have no clue about my country's laws, but I know one thing for sure: no one gives a ...

It will probly be hard for you to find the laws for the czech republic (wow, now I know how to spell that ;)). It was hard to find the canadian laws :P I tried a couple months ago but I couldent find them. It is probably one of the best things about canada :P

[jonrkc]

Thanks for the reassuring replies, all.

And thanks, xequence, for explaining the "5.04" type nomenclature. I thought all distros were numbered like Mandriva, which I used before Ubuntu.

I'll stick with Hoary and wait for, say, Enigmatic Elephant. By then maybe I'll have figured out a way to save myself some labor getting everything back in place.

(One nice thing about Mandriva was that there is, or at least was, an "upgrade" installation option on the installation CD by which you could (surprise!) upgrade your version, OR (though they didn't advertise it for this purpose) repair an existing installation. I used that MANY times to recover from really stupid system-destroying mistakes I made, etc.)

[Jenda]

It will probly be hard for you to find the laws for the czech republic (wow, now I know how to spell that ). It was hard to find the canadian laws :P I tried a couple months ago but I couldent find them. It is probably one of the best things about canada :P
We have this law about "free information access", which ensures that you have the right to access any laws and regulations and that the government offices have the obligation to provide you with the requested info within a certain period of time... and no, that does not mean there is a way I could possibly find out...

Sorry for derailing the thread. Hope there ain't no damage caused.

[Kvark]

Dapper Drake will be supported for 3 years, twice as long as normal. So you could upgrade to dapper when it becomes final. Then after that you can skip 5 releases before upgrading again.

[jonrkc]

Dapper Drake will be supported for 3 years, twice as long as normal. So you could upgrade to dapper when it becomes final. Then after that you can skip 5 releases before upgrading again.
Aha! That's good to know. I imagine that's exactly what I'll do. Thanks!

[mstlyevil]

If for some reason you do decide to upgrade,back up any data you want saved and do a clean install. This will save you much possible grief and will give you a sleek and clean install.

[jonrkc]

If for some reason you do decide to upgrade,back up any data you want saved and do a clean install. This will save you much possible grief and will give you a sleek and clean install.
Thanks, that's what I would do. I'd already decided there's too much risk involved in just letting Synaptic upgrade from revised repositories, though of course I'm glad that works for some people.

I back up all my personal data, graphic files, etc. in three places regularly, so the chance of losing any of that is very small. (Though I still don't have offsite backup!)

But the trouble with the clean install is that, while it's easy to put back the personal files, the many programs I need or like to use all have to be laboriously installed and customized again, as they depend on so many libraries and system files that will have been changed by the upgrade--and of course there's no guarantee they will still work, either! I've had that happen plenty of times.

However, I'd have exactly the same difficulty with an upgrade that consisted of merely updating and upgrading from the repositories.

So I'll just wait...and look forward to the dreaded day! :)

[majikstreet]

Breezy rocks. I would say upgrade.... I dunno about your internet connection though... if you have dial-up, I really don't know what to say. :razz:

[ember]

Stay with Hoary I would say. Breezy has some nice eyecandy, but not too much new for the daily life of a linux computer. And there are enough people (me included) that experience that Breezy is a less stable than hoary.

[raublekick]

Other than the fact that it's free, I don't see the need to hurry. Hell, there's still people using Windows 98 SE, and if that is working for them than more power to 'em. Unless Breezy has some awesome feature that you just can't live without, who's to say that Hoary isn't right for you?

Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should ;)

[poofyhairguy]

It was worth it for evince and new totem for me.

[jonrkc]

I have fairly speedy DSL connection, so that's no problem. But I have very simple computer needs: email, the news (I refuse to watch TV though I did catch the Scorsese Bob Dylan thing), spreadsheet, JPilot, and that's about it. The Gimp is speedy enough on what I've got and more than I need for my digital photos. I use IceWM without either the KDE or Gnome desktop, so nothing to gain there... A few KDE programs on a stand-alone basis (ha! that's a pretty good inside joke, isn't it?).

So I think I'll stick with this Hoary Hedgehog till it's too sick to limp back home every night.

I appreciate all the good advice! Thanks. The Ubuntu forums are really helpful, and I sure can't say that about some others I won't name.