[PLUG] Distribution Upgrades (was: Compare folders?)
Rich Shepard
rshepard at appl-ecosys.com
Mon Dec 8 19:13:38 UTC 2008
On Mon, 8 Dec 2008, Bruce KIlpatrick wrote:
> This is my experience, too. I have tried the upgrade process on a desktop
> AMD machine and an AMD laptop with NVidia graphics. Both were complete
> disasters in the end. I wiped and started from scratch on both.
This brings to mind a question I've had for years: why do distribution
upgrades become so FUBARed that folks recommend installing from scratch?
Since I switched to Slackware (from Red Hat) in September 2003 I've had a
minor hassle during the 10.2->11.0 upgrade because of changes in how tools
were packaged and where they were installed. But the CHANGES_AND_HINTS.TXT
file detailed everything I needed to know ... when I finally read the whole
thing. Similarly, the huge jump from 11.0->12.0 (including changing from BSD
to SysV style init scripts and /etc contents was also very well documented.
But, the latter did take a long time to complete, and I needed expert help
from those more guru'd than I.
The nVidia graphics chip is a bother. For each of the major distribution
upgrades mentioned above, I had to us my notebook to get the latest driver
version from their web site, then build and install it.
Regardless, since Red Hat 4.0 I've done upgrades rather than fresh
installations. Yet I read that many folks take the latter route. I'm curious
-- without challenging anyone's views -- why this is.
Rich
--
Richard B. Shepard, Ph.D. | Integrity Credibility
Applied Ecosystem Services, Inc. | Innovation
<http://www.appl-ecosys.com> Voice: 503-667-4517 Fax: 503-667-8863
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