Questions about OS updates

[Karl Larsen]

John Toliver wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I've been out of the loop for a while as I'm in nursing school.  I set
> my automatic updates on my Hardy install to auto download about once
> every two weeks.  Each time I do, I notice I have a new kernel, new
> updates usually for firefox, evolution, openoffice, samba, and a host
> of other smaller support apps.  I'm worried that in my configuring
> Hardy in the past, or some other issues I've had I might have an
> improper sources.list file or something like that.  The reason I feel
> this way is that I don't ever remember getting THIS many updates in
> Gutsy or in Feisty before it.  Here is what my sources.list file looks
> like: (I've removed a lot of the stuff with "#" in front of it and
> only show the actual sources):
>
> deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu hardy partner
> deb-src http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu hardy partner
> deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu gutsy multiverse
> deb-src http://de.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu gutsy-updates main restricted
> deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu gutsy-security main restricted
> deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy main universe restricted multiverse
> deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy main universe
> restricted multiverse #Added by software-properties
> deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy-security universe main
> multiverse restricted
> deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy-security universe
> main multiverse restricted
> deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy-updates universe main
> multiverse restricted
> deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy-updates universe main
> multiverse restricted
>
> If this isn't a problem, and my sources.list is configured, more or
> less the way it's supposed to  then that means all these updates are
> legitimately for Hardy.  In that case I subscribe to the newsletter
> but the updates don't seem descriptive enough to figure out what they
> do.
>
> My questions are:
> 1. How else might I discover the purpose of the update?  What is going
> on that warrants a new kernel update every 2 weeks or a month tops(I
> understand if that is too open-ended a question to answer).
>
> 2. Last question: Should I hold on to all the old ones, or when can I
> determine it's safe to remove them?
> --
> Patience yields far greater results than brute force or rage ever
> could so relax......it's just life !!!
>
>   
    Your the one who is all bent over with so many updates. I recall 
that 7-10 had at least the same number or perhaps more updates than Hardy.

    What you need to know is these updates make Ubuntu much better. It 
is normal and I take it as a blessing not a curse. As for kernel it is 
changed when needed. I liked 7-10 because they changed the kernel just a 
few times.

Karl


-- 

	Karl F. Larsen, AKA K5DI
	Linux User
	#450462   http://counter.li.org.
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