are backports safe?

[Lonn]

Zunbeltz Izaola wrote:

>Hi,
>
>Is safe to install programs from backports? I don't know if there are
>any problem when the distributition is upgraded or similar.
>
>Thanks
>
>Zunbeltz
>
>

Backports cannot be classed, universally, as "safe." Their success and
safety depends upon the skill of the creator. Backports are in the class of
"alpha" wedded to released software. Both products essentially revert to
"alpha" when a backport is installed unless the backport adds  only
additional program modules and is not compiled into the kernel. YMMV.

Although backports are widely used, they are not ordinarily privileged to
scrutiny and testing by Debian or any other Linux OS vendor. Meltdown may
not be the regularly occurrence or the most ordinary manifestation of a
problem with a backport, but meltdown is always a possibility.

Lonn