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

Fri May 2 09:45:39 UTC 2008

Xurxo Fernández Gismero wrote:
> 2008-05-01 (木) の 11:08 -0400 に Geoffrey Bays さんは書きました:
>   
>> Bas:
>>
>> I upgraded from Gutsy to Hardy via Adept because it was easier, but
>> there have been issues with sound
>> and cdrom. Most of what I read on the forums suggests that a clean
>> install is the safer and better route to go
>> when you upgrade. I am fairly sure that my issues would not have
>> happened with a fresh install of Kubuntu Hardy.
>> See what others more experienced than I think about this.
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> geoff bays
>>
>> On Thu, May 1, 2008 at 11:01 AM, Bas Roufs <basroufs at gmail.com> wrote:
>>     
>>> 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.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>  --
>>>  *************************
>>>  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.
>>>  **************************
>>>
>>>  Rainbow News, views and visions: CircleLetterRainbow.net
>>>
>>>  European Rainbow Gathering in Serbia: Eurogathering.Rainbowinfo.net
>>>
>>>  Open source operating system: Linux - Kubuntu 7.10, Kubuntu.org
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>  --
>>>  kubuntu-users mailing list
>>>  kubuntu-users at lists.ubuntu.com
>>>  Modify settings or unsubscribe at: https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/kubuntu-users
>>>
>>>       
>
> I have been upgrading since feisty (dapper to feisty upgrade broke my
> swap partition due to using UID to identify partitions). Sadly, resuming
> from suspend doesn't work on my laptop in Hardy so I had to go back to
> Gutsy. I don't think Hardy was stable enough for a LTS release so I'd
> wait at least a few weeks.
>
>
>   
It sounds like we have similar experience and skill, however, I have 
just done both of the things you ask about.

I fetched all updates and noticed the 'New Version' offering in the 
Adept Package Manager in my home/studio computer.  I chose both tasks 
and had a successful upgrade.  I have only noticed a couple of changes 
in procedure so far, and they were simple to adapt to.  On the other 
hand, the fresh install on the computer in my work/studio is a fresh 
install after a long download.  The installation failed so far, and I am 
waiting for a friend with more experience to help me.

My experience is probably not sufficient to make a decision, however, my 
vote is for upgrade; it was much faster, and upon finish of install, 
booted and worked.  And, I have only found a couple of changes to deal 
with so far.  I hope this helps you in making a decision.

Steven