Im such a Noob i spelt it Boon by mistake !

[Fred]

Nerdboy,

stevenofnine wrote:

You're under no obligation to update, and will likely find that if all you do is surf, email and listen to music, you need never touch a thing. I would recommend that you peruse the software repository, however. You may find a browser or music manager you prefer to the defaults.

I think this is a very relevant comment that is often over looked. Linux is, by comparison to the proprietary world, very fast moving. The last Windows release was what, 5 years ago? Mint, as an example, is about every 6 months. Some of the Debian flavors upgrade every few weeks.

First lets think about why we upgrade. To gain new functionality that we want/need would be one reason. Because the distro we are using is no longer being supported, therefore no more security updates and bug fixes, would be another. Enhanced ease of use would be another. To see and stay on the cutting edge of new technology would be another. I am sure there are others but these cover the vast majority of reasons for upgrading.

Now look at your situation. The functions you use the computer for are quite mature, so you won't be getting any new functionality that normal updates wouldn't already bring you. You are using the latest version now so there will be full support for it for quite a while. Being a new user, your time would be much better spent learning more about what you have than trying to upgrade. When you do need to upgrade you will be much better informed about how you might want to structure you system for your needs. If your system is adequately meeting your needs today, it will do so tomorrow, regardless of whether there is a new version available or not. As a new user, do you really want to be on the cutting edge of technology. Remember, time tested, mature solutions are always less buggy, and more reliable, than the latest bling to hit the net.

Spend your time learning about /etc/fstab and partition mounting, Grub, partitioning, system layout, etc. and you will be much better off in the long run.

I don't have a clue how your system is now structured, but the only thing I would suggest at this point is to make sure you keep your personal data on a separate partition from the system itself. The rest of your first adventure into Linux is going to be a learning experience that you probably will not want to keep after a few months of learning anyway.

Good luck and there are a lot of people here that are willing to help you through this transition period. If you are willing to put forth the effort you will be free of Microsoft's bullying, manipulative ways forever.

Fred

[MagnusB]

Updating is up to you really, if you do not want the hassle of update just use a rolling release instead of a "locked release" (or whatever it is called) like Mint is. Both have it's advantages and disadvantages. Alternately you could upgrade your system using APT, without loosing any data. How to do this is usually mentioned in the release notes.
But many users just find a version that is stable and functional on their system and runs with that, there are still examples of people still running Dapper Drake (Ubuntu 6.06, last LTS from Ubuntu) just because it is easier to do that than to upgrade every six months, configure your system and importing bookmarks etc. While there are some like me who just skip around, test a ton of distro's and usually upgrade to the latest software just because... It is really up to you how you want to do this.
Now what I usually recommend is to start with a bit of distro hopping, Ubuntu and Mint are great places to start, and learn the basics, then a new world opens up out there. But if you want a stable, easily maintained system, stay with Mint, upgrade if you feel the need for it (Elyssa will be LTS, so that is worth considering)....

[Fred]

Nerdboy,

I just can't help myself, and I say this in the nicest of ways. I know you told us how you got "Nerdboy" but it sure doesn't have a faltering connotation for me. I have this picture in my mind of a sloppily dressed 14 year old that needs a bath and a haircut, hunkered over a keyboard. Guess I am just showing my age.

But that's ok, maybe we can change your perception of Linux and you can change my perception of "Nerdboy."

Enjoy life, it's too short to do otherwise.

Fred