1. Newbie evaluation. 2. Gutsy>Hardy: request for advice.

[Bas Roufs]

Dear Everybody

In November last year I started transferring from Windows to Linux via 
Kubuntu 7.10, Gutsy Gibbon. At present I do about 95% of my PC work via 
Gutsy. After 20 years of Windows agony, my pleasure with Kubuntu Gutsy 
gets bigger every week. About 95% of the problems I manage to resolve 
myself so far. About 4% of my problems have been satisfactorily resolved 
after consulting the Kubuntu or Ubuntu forums or a Friend/ Linux expert 
here in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Sometimes I already manage to give 
advises myself to others via the Kubuntu and Ubuntu user groups. At 
present, there is only one major problem at daily user level I did not 
yet manage to resolve: the on-board sound at my desktop, an HP Pavilion. 
Below, I get back to that specific isssue.

At present, I am wondering when it could be a good moment in my case to 
switch to one of  the two(!) versions of Kubuntu 8.04, Hardy Heron. I do 
not have any experience with a version upgrade within Kubuntu. That's 
why, I kindly ask your advice. Below, I specify this request on detail 
level.

According to kubuntu.org, there are two versions of the 8.04 release: 
one with the 'stable' KDE 3.5.9 and another one with KDE 4.0.3. More 
info: http://kubuntu.org/announcements/8.04-release.php
To be honest, I attach more importance to system stability than to super 
brand new features. That is one of the many reasons I am marginalising 
the use of Windows as much as possible. What about the future of KDE 4? 
Will there be a more 'stable' release to be incorporated in Kubuntu 
8.10, to be issued next October? Will it be possible to upgrade to 8.10 
with KDE 4 from either Gutsy or Hardy in combination with KDE 3.5.9?

According to several messages I read on the Kubuntu and Ubuntu forums, 
Hardy works with Firefox 3 - a version that is allegedly not yet 
compatible with several add-ons that I use frequently - by example the 
'Foxmarks' book mark synchroniser. This is the main reason I am 
hesitating to transfer already now to Hardy. Does any one know when this 
compatibility problem will be solved?

So far, I have understood that there are two ways to 'upgrade':
* installation 'from scratch', or ....
* 'upgrade' while maintaining the whole configuration.

With respect to my DESKTOP: I am wondering which of the two ways of 
'upgrading' is the best one. I made there a HOME+System partition of 15 
GB only. I need to use different language versions of Kubuntu and Open 
Office - that's why I have a permanent lack of space in that partition. 
That's why I want to make that partition at least twice bigger. The 
total size of the HD on which I use Kubuntu is 180 GB -so, there is more 
than enough space for that.  What is more easy, practical and safe: 
resizing that partition together with an 'installation from scratch'  of 
Hardy or following a 'direct upgrade' from 7.10 via Adept? (See: 
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/HardyUpgrades/Kubuntu )
I am perfectly happy to first save/ back up my data in case an 
'installation from scratch' is better. In such a case, I am also able to 
produce and use a 'Kubuntu files script' in order to get back all the 
software packages I have been using so far.

With respect to the laptop: there, the size of the Home/ system 
partition is already OK. So, which way to upgrade is best there?

One major daily use issue I did not manage to resolve within Gutsy: the 
sound at the desktop, an HP Pavilion. Several times I carried out all 
the checks and instructions at the so-called 'Comprehensive Sound 
Problem Solutions Guide':
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=205449.
What is the best thing to do from this point of view: first trying to 
resolve the sound issue, than upgrading? Or is it better first to 
upgrade in the hope that the sound problem can be more easily solved 
afterwards?

Thanks for your possible replies! Also partial answers to one or more 
specific questions could make me happy.

Respectfully Yours,

Bas.



-- 
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Viaconsensus
Bas G. Roufs M.A.
Van 't Hoffstraat 1
NL-3514 VT  Utrecht
E.:  BasRoufs at gmail.com
M.: +31.6.446.835.10.
T.: +31.30.785.20.40.
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Open source operating system: Linux - Kubuntu 7.10, Kubuntu.org