Best upgrade path?

[rikona]

On Fri, 10 Jul 2020 00:28:19 +0200
Liam Proven <lproven at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Thu, 9 Jul 2020 at 23:42, rikona <rikona at sonic.net> wrote:
> >
> > Sorry for the basic questions, but I'd like to do this in a way that
> > minimizes the possibility of foulups in switching to a new OS. And
> > yes, I will be doing a multiple backup before trying any of
> > this. :-)) What is the safest and most problem free way to
> > proceed?  

First, thanks very much for the very good suggestions!

> How big is your SSD?

Big - 400 G - I made it as large as possible to try to extend its life
as parts are swapped out. It does have a swap partition. It is only
about 10% full, so plenty of room for another OS.

> You could install a whole new system but point it to the same home
> directory. This does work, I've done it, but the old system will start
> to encounter problems as newer versions of programs write new settings
> the old apps don't understand.

That was exactly the kind of problem I was envisioning and worried
about, especially since the KDE parts do not play well with the current
Ubuntu.

> Or, just make a new username, so you're using the same /home
> filesystem but different directories:
> 
> /home/rikona
> /home/newrikona
> 
> Copy all your stuff, change ownership, and then run side by side until
> you're happy, then remove the old OS and old home directory.

This sounds very good! I'll try this approach.

I'm also considering adding an iMac to the mix. We have 25,000+
pix/vids and maintaining all that for the family, on multiple devices,
using linux, has been a big chore for me. The Apple route looks pretty 
attractive for that kind of thing. Any comments/suggestions on that
route also appreciated...

Thanks much.
Rik