Upgrading the System and Software

Once you have repositories set up and your system updated to reflect what upgrades, patches, packages, software, libraries and so on are available, it’s time to safe-upgrade.

Safe-upgrade? Didn’t it used to be called upgrade?

Yes, but with the Karmic advent they’ve deprecated that command in favor of safe-upgrade. Dunno why. Sounds, er, safer, I suppose. Bloomin’ marketing for you. Wearing out my keyboard too, all these extra keystrokes

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Upgrading Ubuntu is a bit like running Windows Update (except you’re not unwittingly downloading a bunch of spyware, bloatware, control_freakware, or just_generally_we_don’t_care_about_buggering_up_your_PC_ware.)

.. Er, and it’s quicker, to the point that you no longer take an enforced vacation while a service pack installs. Type:-

[text]sudo aptitude safe-upgrade[/text]

.. or if you followed Part 7 – Terminal Alias Shortcuts with bashrc, just type:-

[text]upgrade[/text]

(See, I told you to follow that bit.)

If a new kernel is amongst the new files, you’ll be prompted to restart your PC.

How to (Full) Upgrade an Old Ubuntu Edition

It won’t be possible to upgrade our Ubuntu version yet because, for the next 6 months, Karmic Koala is the latest-greatest but, when Lairy Limpet, Livid Larry, Ludicrous Loot or whatever comes out next April, you can upgrade to that with the taxing command:-

[text]sudo aptitude fupgrade[/text]

.. betcha can’t wait.

At this point, if you’re new to Linux, you may be forgiven for allowing just a little bit of resentment to pass through you, for all those hours you’ve spent at Windows Update, not to mention their damn reboot demands.

Peace, love and penguins.

(One other thing, Ubuntans, if you do call 10.04 Lairy Limpet, just cut me a credit somewhere.)

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