Is there an real need to upgrade?

[Al Gordon]

On 10/19/05, Al Gordon <runlevel7 at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 10/19/05, Walter Vermeir <walter.vermeir at linux.be> wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> > I am now using Ubuntu 5.04.  In general; it works for what i need it
> > for.  If I upgrade to 5.10 I am afraid I will need to try to fix a lot
> > of things that now works. Browsers-plugins, audio, video-codecs,
> > sound-conflicts, or worse, a install disaster and the need for a new
> > installation.
> >
> > If I stay with 5.04; what, from the end users/ desktop home user point
> > of view will I miss? Basicly is the risk worth the resold?
> >
> > Thanks for your advice,
> >
> > Walter Vermeir
>
> The only real need to upgrade depends on either a) 5.10 having a
> feature that you think you need that 5.04 doesn't provide, or b) 18
> months passing since hoary released, which means the end of its
> security updates.
>
> I installed from hoary to breezy on two systems without incident - one
> was a laptop (during the breezy beta phase) and the other was a
> desktop system with nVidia drivers, etc.  Both upgrades went well for
> me, without any major complications.  All of the apps and
> functionality that I was using in 5.04 worked for me in 5.10.
>
> My primary reasons for upgrading with each release are twofold: First,
> I like to run current software.  Secondly, I'm concerned that if I
> don't upgrade this time, and want to upgrade to the next release after
> breezy (Dapper Drake, Ubuntu 6.04), the upgrade path won't go as
> smoothly.  Incremental upgrades performed often make more sense to me
> than major upgrades performed at longer intervals.  Your situation may
> be different, however.
>
> As a follow-up to kthe original question, I wonder how many people are
> upgrading from Warty to Breezy, and what their experiences have been.
> Does waiting make sense, or does it just delay (and/or intensify)
> dist-upgrade related problems?

Additional: The more non-Ubuntu-packaged apps you've installed, the
more problems you can expect during an upgrade.  I personally try to
stay away from the marillat repos, etc., in order to minimize my
potential problems on the next upgrade.

--

  -- AL --