[ubuntu-uk] gradual Distribution update

[Lucy]

2008/12/10 Stephen Garton <sheepeatingtaz at gmail.com>:
> Afternoon All,
>
> I look after my mother in laws's ubuntu box - currently running hardy.
> She only has a 512 broadband connection, and a full upgrade needs to
> download ~1.8GB of packages.
[snip]

You can do this to just download the packages to install later:
sudo aptitude --download-only dist-upgrade

> Could I & Should I do the update this way, or should I wait until she
> goes on holiday in january, and leave the computer turned on and do it
> in one fell swoop?

It's certainly a large upgrade, but it's unlikely to cause any
problems. That said, I always prefer to be around for things like that
in case something goes wrong, but if you're happy to provide remote
support then go for it.

Lucy