I have Ubuntu 8.04 LTS right now, and after looking at my updates the computer said I needed. Some of them look like i would not need them at all. It had like over a thousand updates to do. Should I pick and choose or just run it?

No you shouldn't.
What you should do is wait for the 10.04 to be released at the end of next week and do a fresh install.

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No reason to update things, you don't use.
I never do automatic updates.
But a manual update of some important security
updates is a good idea.

The next LTS : 10.04, and to be as stable as your 8.04.2 (3 ?),
wait at least six months, before changing to 10.04 .
.....

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Ubuntu 8.04 is a fine choice; it is very stable and will be fully supported through April 2011.

I would recommend that you install all of the updates. There are a lot of them because 8.04 was released 2 years ago. Once you are up to date, the updates will be fewer. Good luck!

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Well, since you left yourself open to opinions, here's mine.

1) I only use the LTS versions, as they are more stable.

2) I'll wait at least until 10.04.1 is released before 'upgrading', as this will allow the devs to correct most of the programming errors.

3) I never really upgrade, but rather, do a fresh install. It's less trouble-prone than upgrading.

As for the updates, that's your choice. If you have ultra-fast internet, it won't be much trouble installing them all. On a slower connection, you're going to be in for a really long day. However, I would still give serious consideration to installing the security updates.

Cheers

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