Ubuntu Tips n Tricks

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Posted: 30 Apr 2010 10:50 PM PDT

Ubuntu 10.04: Upgrade or Clean Install? - The Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Long-Term Support) "Lucid Lynx" has been unleashed with fresh Mac-like look and a plethora of other exciting features.

For those of you who already have a previous version of Ubuntu installed on your workstation but still can't decide whether to upgrade or do a clean install, allow me to give you some tips (based on experience) to help you make a decision. But before that, here are some of the features that you will get from installing Ubuntu 10.04:

* Faster boot speed on almost any machine and extra-fast on SSD-based machines such as netbooks.

* Social networking support via the Me Menu with access to social networks such as Facebook, Digg, Twitter and Identi.ca. It also integrates chat channels so users can talk with friends or colleagues on Google Talk, MSN, IRC and nearly every network.

* Enhanced desktop integration of the Ubuntu One online service for easy saving and sharing of files and folders on the cloud.

* New Ubuntu One Music Store to purchase and share DRM-free music from one location across multiple computers and devices.

* Improved Ubuntu Software Centre to find new software, and keep track of it once it's installed in a new, sleeker interface.

Now, should you upgrade or do a clean install?

I've been installing and using Ubuntu on several machines already and I must say that the more convenient is doing the upgrade. In fact, my main workstation has been upgraded from Ubuntu 9.04 to 9.10 and now to 10.04. I've never encountered major problems whatsoever while upgrading so I'm looking forward to do it once more in the future.

For me, upgrading is less time consuming than doing a fresh install since I don't have to again download, install, and configure all the software that I need. After upgrading, my system is ready to use and I can go on with my work.

Ubuntu has been known to be really good or reliable at doing upgrades that you should not worry about breaking things up. As long as you back up your files everything will be fine. I have a few experiences of doing a fresh install that failed several times, but when I did the upgrade there were no hiccups.

Doing a clean install may offer a few advantages to some users, but if you are like me who already have a fully-loaded and smooth-running Ubuntu desktop, just go for the upgrade.

How about you? Do you prefer a clean install to doing an upgrade?