Hi

This rarely happens to me but I sometimes get nervous when I do a full system update because a package or packages could break something. In my years of using linux I only encounter this issue three times, twice with arch and one time with pclinuxos. Thus far, pclinuxos has not broken in almost five or six straight full system updates. As for arch, I can't say because I stopped using it in 2011.

What is your ratio of a successful full system update with your distro?

I only use Debian and Slackware. My rate of broken system updates is 0.

Cool.

BTW, when I had those three issues it was minor like it affected one or a few packages not working properly but it never affected the system. My system still booted fine.

I always hold my breath a little, but, with Slackware and Debian, my experience accords with TobiSGD's.

I have two Dells, a netbook and laptop, that came with factory-installed Ubuntu (ah! those were the days!). Never had an online Ubuntu version upgrade fail from v. 8.10 to v. 12.10, when I got fed up with Ubuntu.

But an online SalixOS update borked the netbook, which is why it now runs Mint (I liked SalixOS, but I had a LUG meeting coming up and had to get it running quick and had Mint lying about.)

I appreciate your honesty frankbell. I still hold my breath as well when I do a system upgrade.

Anyway thanks to both of you

I re-install Slackware on my system completely in order to upgrade. I don't cross my fingers because:
1) I backup everything before hand ... the complete re-install forces me to.
2) I read the CHANGES_AND_HINTS and it tips me off for possible new issues when installing, like where to configure the dvorak keyboard layout for Xorg, which I definitely need and sometimes changes.

Nothing bad can happen because of this, so I have no fear at all.

I would like to replace Salix as well (on my parents computers), and I was considering either Mint or Opensuse. I would prefer Opensuse simply because it uses all the space on a DVD, rather than wasting it like Mint.

Slackware - The pain-free OS.

In the most recent episode of KPO (episode 83), some of the participants indicated that they had discontents with OpenSuse. I haven't played with it for years and have no opinion.

My personal favorites are Slackware and Debian, but I like Mint and recently have been quite happily experimenting with Mageia.

Hate to sound like a broken record here, but Slackware and Debian (sid, no less) = no crossed fingers, no pain.

I'm usually too busy groaning about all the things I'll have to adapt to the new environment to worry much about whether the upgrade itself will succeed.

Both Debian and Slackware seem indestructible to me (unless you chose to push your luck using experimental bits).

Because of its goal to be as bleeding edge as possible, distros like Fedora are more likely to break with third party stuff, that's the price you pay for living on the edge

Being in the IT industry for around 30 years I remember times when updates/upgrades weren't as well tested as now.


I cross my fingers with just about every update and say a little prayer to the IT gods whenever a reboot is necessary!

My ratio is about 70%, using Ubuntu Sometimes there are required by me packages which need to be removed to proceed update, like kdm, other time some plasma widget configuration stops loading session, ealier times I had problems with audio (when Ubuntu switched to pulseaudio), etc. But I no need to cross fingers, everything can be fixed. However I prefer clean install.

For a normal everyday update
NO

once you have the third party repos for RedHat /CentOS /SL set and "yum-priorities" configured


and the priorities set and configured in yast on SUSE

there are no real issues


UPGRADES

now that is different .

Since 2007 I have used Ubuntu (7.04 to 11.10) and tried upgrading for the first few and each time it cacked itself. From 10.04 I always did clean installs.

Since I have been using Debian (late Lenny) I have done clean installs on my laptops but on my desktop I did upgrades, Lenny to Squeeze was easy as and not a problem at all, Squeeze to Wheezy had one problem but it as easily fixed and I think it was because of the change from Gnome 2.x to Gnome 3.x.

I personally prefer clean installs if for no other reason that to remove clutter that builds up and I don't have to hold my breath and hope for the best. I doubt my desktop will last to Jessie so my next machine will either get a HDD swap or a clean install.