What does "end of support" mean for Linux Mint 16

[AlanWalker]

[Posts split from http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 0&t=171545]

Welcome to Linux Mint

Unfortunately I have some bad news for you IDK why you installed Linux Mint 16, seeing as it is supported only till July 17th 2014 (barely 3 more weeks before it becomes obsolete and unsupported): http://www.linuxmint.com/download_all.php.

<snip>

The recommended way to upgrade is described here: http://comm

unity.linuxmint.com/tutorial/view/2. You can "upgrade in place" without reinstalling also, but that requires some knowledge of using Linux and being able to recover from problems.

This is really bad news . For how long is a Mint release supported? I know the latest Suse (installed on my laptop) has a long support life. I installed Mint 16 on my desktop after reading a "recent" review in a Linux Format magazine. I read that Mint 17 will be released but I thought that there would still be support and upgrades to support the old release. This is another thing to consider when thinking of switching distros.

Thanks for your feedback

Hello Coetzee,

I know of one experienced Mint user who is still running Mint 9 (Mint 9 or so - I'm looking at you Dr Hu ); We are both in a learning process on this point, and I'll be asking other here for details on how to proceed, but I don't believe the loss of "support" in Mint/Linux means the same thing that it does in Windows.

I think the 'loss of support' here refers to Mint's Update Manager no longer advising on updates for an 'obsolete' Mint edition, but that those updates are available through apt; if that's so then, at worst, using apt-get -s upgrade (documented many places, but here also) will serve near the same purpose (it will show you what's to be updated/upgraded); the one thing that doing that would lack is the "caution levels" that the Update Manager offers (I wonder how many Mint users actually pick and choose on the basis of those cautionary levels) - the response to that is to backup one's system (which is not a bad idea in any case) before a significant update and to ask (in these forums) about possible dangers associate with individual package updates/upgrades.

Adding to /etc/apt/sources.list may be necessary but, if so, asking on these forums which repositories to add should solve that problem (if it exists).

Comments? Anyone?

Regards,

[xenopeek]

I think the 'loss of support' here refers to Mint's Update Manager no longer advising on updates for an 'obsolete' Mint edition, but that those updates are available through apt

Being harsh, but this is plain stupid. What part of "obsolete and unsupported" sounded to you "but not really, hihi"

Linux Mint 16 is based on Ubuntu 13.10. Here is the end of support notice: https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubunt ... 00185.html

[nomko]

Hello Coetzee,

I know of one experienced Mint user who is still running Mint 9 (Mint 9 or so - I'm looking at you Dr Hu ); We are both in a learning process on this point, and I'll be asking other here for details on how to proceed, but I don't believe the loss of "support" in Mint/Linux means the same thing that it does in Windows.

I think the 'loss of support' here refers to Mint's Update Manager no longer advising on updates for an 'obsolete' Mint edition, but that those updates are available through apt; if that's so then, at worst, using apt-get -s upgrade (documented many places, but here also) will serve near the same purpose (it will show you what's to be updated/upgraded); the one thing that doing that would lack is the "caution levels" that the Update Manager offers - the response to that is to backup one's system (which is not a bad idea in any case) before a significant update and to ask (in these forums) about possible dangers associate with individual package updates/upgrades.

Comments? Anyone?

Regards,

Yes, updating from Mint 9 to Mint 17 is a very huge step. Between those 2 versions a lot has changed. Updating Mint 9 using the sudo apt-get dist-upgrade is too risky, the risk to "blow up everything" is too high.

Using the command sudo apt-get -s upgrade won't do any good as well. Mint 9 is obsolete and therefore also no longer maintained. You won't get any new updates for Mint 9 because there is no reason to maintain such an old Mint version. beside that, the path of the repositories for Mint 9 has closed too. So please, don't advice people to use old/obsolete Mint versions, that's just plain stupid. If you don't know what you're talking about, do not bring up these kind of crazy advises!

[AlanWalker]

I think the 'loss of support' here refers to Mint's Update Manager no longer advising on updates for an 'obsolete' Mint edition, but that those updates are available through apt

How stupid are you? Sorry for being harsh, but this is plain stupid

Normally I don't confuse ignorance with stupidity.

I don't think you normally do either, which means you've got something else going on.

End of support means end of support. Linux Mint 16 is based on Ubuntu 13.10. Here is the end of support notice: https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubunt ... 00185.html

Perhaps you can explain how synaptic doesn't support editions beyond their "End of support" status.

Regards,

[xenopeek]

The security teams do not work on releases that have reached end of support (that's what end of support means), and thus you get no security upgrades for obsoleted releases as the security teams don't work on those releases. No upgrades will ever come to Linux Mint 16 after July 17th 2014, as it is obsolete and unsupported--the software repositories get frozen in time. Any new security issues found for the software available from those repositories won't be worked on by the security teams. No upgrades, no notices, nothing. Obsolete and unsupported means just that --> move on to Linux Mint 17 if you want supported software.

[AlanWalker]

The security teams do not work on releases that have reached end of support (that's what end of support means), and thus you get no security upgrades for obsoleted releases as the security teams don't work on it.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I am given to understand that Debian security back-ports security updates to testing and stable,

[nomko]

I think the 'loss of support' here refers to Mint's Update Manager no longer advising on updates for an 'obsolete' Mint edition, but that those updates are available through apt

How stupid are you? Sorry for being harsh, but this is plain stupid

Normally I don't confuse ignorance with stupidity.

I think this time you did. Your whole thread is basically an advertisement for Mint 9 which is no longer supported (obsolete since April 2013). Advising obsolete versions is either stupid or done out of ignorance...

End of support means end of support. Linux Mint 16 is based on Ubuntu 13.10. Here is the end of support notice: https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubunt ... 00185.html

Perhaps you can explain how synaptic doesn't support editions beyond their "End of support" status.

If a Mint version is obsolete, the path to it's repository is closed as well. Any newer updates made available after this "closing date" doesn't include the upgrade path (path of repository) for older/obsolete Mint versions. That's why synaptic cannot update the system any longer. It lacks the correct update/upgrade path in newer package versions.

[xenopeek]

Look, please read the end of security notice I linked to. What Debian does or does not do is irrelevant. Linux Mint 16 isn't based on Debian, it's based on Ubuntu. Debian and Ubuntu repositories don't mix. Ubuntu 13.10 repositories will get frozen in time from July 17th--and thus also Linux Mint 16 which based on those.

That's enough hijacking of a topic where somebody introduces themselves. Split all above posts from http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 0&t=171545 and moved here.

[killer de bug]

but I don't believe the loss of "support" in Mint/Linux means the same thing that it does in Windows.

Comments? Anyone?

Really?
When you don't know something better not to post...

[killer de bug]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I am given to understand that Debian security back-ports security updates to testing and stable,

Yes, but Debian doesn't provide security fix for unsuported old-old-stable releases...

[Pirated]

Well I'm even more confused after reading this thread!!!



End of support

[Previous1]

If you want GNOME 2 and still be on the safe end, use CentOS 5, CentOS 6 or Debian Squeeze. And I'll add my +1 to the others' replies.