Ubuntu 8.04 and Firefox 3 Beta 5

[Avi Greenbury]

On Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:54:07 +0200
Christoph Bier <christoph.bier at web.de> wrote:

> Mario Vukelic schrieb am 25.04.2008 15:40:
> I don't want to blame anybody---I'm using FOSS which comes with
> baggage. But I still wonder how software in beta stage can go to a
> LTS release. 

On a 386-based box (and Ubuntu doesn't support anything else any more, does it?) FF3b is measurably more stable than FF2.x.

I _know_ it's still in beta release, and my gut instinct would be that, for that very reason, it should be kept out of a stable release. But this beta is more stable than the incumbent 'stable'. I can't speak for extensions, but extensions don't suddenly become compatible because it's left beta (and, as previously mentioned, you can switch of the compatability checks). 
I've had no issues with my extensions, but I had a previous beta before I upgraded.

If you want a distro that _only_ uses packages that are in a stable release, Debian's probably more appropriate than Ubuntu.


>		I trusted Ubuntu that they know what they do and that
> they only include FF3B5 if there would be no chance for any trouble.
> But it was my mistake to do so and not to take a new backup after I
> took one three hours before. I awaited 8.04 because of some new
> software versions I desperately needed.

There is _never_ 'no chance for any trouble' in a software upgrade.

> 
> Maybe I just have to admit that I can't take that kind of
> responsibility using FOSS anymore.
> 

I'd be tempted to suggest that if you habitually upgrade your OS without taking backups, and then are surprised to lose data you've not backed up, you might not be able to take the kind of responsibility involved in using _any_ software.
-- 
Avi Greenbury