New Mint user, a question about updates please

[bobnutfield]

Hello Everyone,

I came into a used laptop recently, and it turns out to be fairly meaty (Intel dual core T7200). I have used Mint from the live CD before but had never installed it on any of my machines. I decided to get a new hard drive for this lappy (the one that was in it was full of bad sectors) and install Mint. I am very familiar with Ubuntu having used it for years (along with Fedora and Slackware), but now that I have been using it a few days, I have to say that Mint performs much better than Ubuntu and is very fast and snappy on this laptop. But, like Ubuntu's fixation with brown, I wish Mint was a little less green.....

I am still getting comfortable with Mint, but I was wondering why level 4 and 5 updates are disabled by default. If I understand correctly, level 4 includes kernel updates which will not occur unless I enable the level 4 updates. What is the danger in that? Why is it considered risky to install new kernels in Mint?

Finally, level 5 is described as "dangerous." What is the typical level 5 update which is considered dangerous?

Thanks for any replies,

Bob

[Aging Technogeek]

The level ratings on the updates reflect the probability of an update changing your installation so much that dependency chains are broken or other problems occur. The ratings are mostly for newer users to take as a guide to which updates are safest and which to avoid until they learn how things work and can repair damages.

Level 4 and 5 updates are labeled as dangerous because they make such large changes to the OS that some or many of your installed apps may not run or run improperly after the update. This is the type of problem that could cause a newbie to go back to Windows so these updates are labeled as dangerous.

Level 4 and 5 updates are more likely to cause borkage than level 1, 2, or 3 updates, however indiscriminate application of even low risk updates can cause unforeseen interactions and major system crashes.

This is the nice thing about the Mint Update Utility. It allows you to decide which updates you want or need and install only those you choose.

If you have been using Ubuntu, Slackware, and Fedora for years, you should not have too much trouble if something breaks after an update. Go ahead and check the level 4 and 5 updates as "Safe" and "Visible" .

By the way, kernel updates are the most common level 5 entries.

[mastablasta]

I dont' know much about Linux, but won't kernel updates also be able to fix some issues or get you better drivers?

[Aging Technogeek]

mastablasta,

You are correct. Kernel updates can improve system performance significantly, but you run the risk of breaking dependency chains for older apps whenever you install a new kernel version. That is why they are classed as level 5.

Most new Linux users would not know how to recover their system from this type of failure and these are the users the danger level ratings are designed for. Once you have used Linux for a while, you will most likely pick up the ability to work around or repair broken dependencies and do as most of us do; enable all 5 levels of updates and pick and choose the ones you want to install.

EDIT

I realized I had not given you the most important reason why some updates are classed level4 or 5. Updates at these levels usually involve changes to the core systems of your OS - the kernel. Xserver, hal, and other first level programs. The least bit of corrupted code from a bad download in this area can break your OS so completely that there is no option but a complete re-installation. This is the primary reason for the classification of these updates as dangerous.

I realize that the chances of a corrupt download are low, but they are not 0. With level 1-3 updates, you are dealing with individual applications that can be relatively easily repaired or re-installed if broken. Level 4 and 5 updates can break your entire system.

[bobnutfield]

Thank you for the explanation. Now I understand, and it makes sense given the type of distro that Mint is. If I can open it a little bit, I think I will enjoy using this distro and certainly highly recommend it for new users.

Thanks again,

Bob