lovinglinux
October 5th, 2008, 02:13 PM
Despite the fact that I already feel very comfortable (and happy) using Ubuntu Hardy Heron, I'm still a Linux newbie and I'm not familiar with the 6 month release cycles. So I'm wondering if upgrading will be a good move. Not that I have upgrade fever, but I would like to have the most stable and updated system. Since Intrepid countdown is almost finished, I think it's time to ask a few questions.
I understand that Ubuntu Hardy is a LTS version, so it will be supported for a few years. Does this applies to all applications on the official repositories? For example, gnome-voice-control repository version is broken, but people say the Intrepid package works. So, having a LTS release means that at some point the broken gnome-voice package should be fixed or I would only be able to use it if I upgrade or download the Intrepid repository package?
Despite a few minor issues, I think Hardy Heron works great for me and I am still learning and discovering cool useful stuff every day. Nevertheless, should I expect better hardware support only on newer releases or can I expect patches for the current version that could make things work better? Not that I have any issues with a specific hardware right now.
I have a separate partition for my home directory and I frequently generate a list of all applications I have installed using the following command:
dpkg --get-selections > ~/my-packages
So if I decide to re-install Hardy I can install all applications that I currently have with a single command and since most of the configuration files are in the home directory, I can restore my stuff pretty fast and without much hassle. If I upgrade to Intrepid, can I keep my config files? Can I expect that all applications I have now will install and work if I use the file generated in the previous command?
If something goes wrong with the upgrade (clean install keeping /home), can I downgrade (clean install keeping /home) without screwing something?
If everything is working, why should I upgrade? Are there any new feature on Intrepid that is a must-have? Should I expect better performance on Intrepid?
Last question:
Does the Live CD allows to install applications without touching my current install? I don't know if this is kind of stupid to ask, since I will not actually install Ubuntu itself, but does it have some sort of temporary install directory when just using the Live CD for testing purposes?
I understand that Ubuntu Hardy is a LTS version, so it will be supported for a few years. Does this applies to all applications on the official repositories? For example, gnome-voice-control repository version is broken, but people say the Intrepid package works. So, having a LTS release means that at some point the broken gnome-voice package should be fixed or I would only be able to use it if I upgrade or download the Intrepid repository package?
Despite a few minor issues, I think Hardy Heron works great for me and I am still learning and discovering cool useful stuff every day. Nevertheless, should I expect better hardware support only on newer releases or can I expect patches for the current version that could make things work better? Not that I have any issues with a specific hardware right now.
I have a separate partition for my home directory and I frequently generate a list of all applications I have installed using the following command:
dpkg --get-selections > ~/my-packages
So if I decide to re-install Hardy I can install all applications that I currently have with a single command and since most of the configuration files are in the home directory, I can restore my stuff pretty fast and without much hassle. If I upgrade to Intrepid, can I keep my config files? Can I expect that all applications I have now will install and work if I use the file generated in the previous command?
If something goes wrong with the upgrade (clean install keeping /home), can I downgrade (clean install keeping /home) without screwing something?
If everything is working, why should I upgrade? Are there any new feature on Intrepid that is a must-have? Should I expect better performance on Intrepid?
Last question:
Does the Live CD allows to install applications without touching my current install? I don't know if this is kind of stupid to ask, since I will not actually install Ubuntu itself, but does it have some sort of temporary install directory when just using the Live CD for testing purposes?