What happens after 2021 with 18.x?

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Pjotr
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Re: What happens after 2021 with 18.x?

Post by Pjotr »

Moem wrote:
Hoser Rob wrote:That's why I use a separate partition for /home. I wish it was the default in mint/ubuntu but I suppose they don't want to scare off beginners. Even though it's not hard to do when you install.
I don't care for it to be the default, but I do wish it was offered as an 'automated' option on large enough disks (which is pretty much all of them).
Note that in case of a separate /home partition, it's a wise precaution to retain only those customized user settings that are essential to you (such as, for example, ~/.mozilla and ~/.thunderbird).

Otherwise you might encounter conflicts caused by customized user settings that were useful in the old Linux Mint version series (e.g. 17.x), but are wrong for the new Linux Mint version series (e.g. 18.x).

So if you insist on having a separate /home partition, do some house cleaning (home cleaning) before you install the new Mint version series.

This house cleaning was, by the way, what made me question the very usefulness of a separate /home partition....
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Re: What happens after 2021 with 18.x?

Post by Moem »

Pjotr wrote:Note that in case of a separate /home partition, it's a wise precaution to retain only those customized user settings that are essential to you (such as, for example, ~/.mozilla and ~/.thunderbird).

Otherwise you might encounter conflicts caused by customized user settings that were useful in the old Linux Mint version series (e.g. 17.x), but are wrong for the new Linux Mint version series (e.g. 18.x).
Have you ever seen such conflicts happening in the real world?

Note that I just went from 17.3 32-bits to 18.2 64-bits, retaining my /home partition, with no house cleaning of any kind and encountered exactly zero conflicts. This is not advice, just anecdata. But it worked for me.

I figured that if it didn't work out well, I could always do a clean install after all, and import just what was needed. So it was a pretty safe experiment. And it worked out well.
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Re: What happens after 2021 with 18.x?

Post by Pjotr »

Moem wrote:
Pjotr wrote:Note that in case of a separate /home partition, it's a wise precaution to retain only those customized user settings that are essential to you (such as, for example, ~/.mozilla and ~/.thunderbird).

Otherwise you might encounter conflicts caused by customized user settings that were useful in the old Linux Mint version series (e.g. 17.x), but are wrong for the new Linux Mint version series (e.g. 18.x).
Have you ever seen such conflicts happening in the real world?
I experienced that years ago, yes.... But that was about seven or eight years ago, so I can't remember the details. Nor do I remember which distro it was (probably one of the *buntu's), nor which desktop environment.

I'm sorry, that's all the "evidence" (well, lack of evidence really) that I can offer. For what it's worth. :)
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Re: What happens after 2021 with 18.x?

Post by Bolle1961 »

Moem wrote:
Pjotr wrote:Note that in case of a separate /home partition, it's a wise precaution to retain only those customized user settings that are essential to you (such as, for example, ~/.mozilla and ~/.thunderbird).

Otherwise you might encounter conflicts caused by customized user settings that were useful in the old Linux Mint version series (e.g. 17.x), but are wrong for the new Linux Mint version series (e.g. 18.x).
Have you ever seen such conflicts happening in the real world?
Never, from Ubuntu Feisty to 10.04 and several Debian versions I used the same /home, never got problems.
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Re: What happens after 2021 with 18.x?

Post by jglen490 »

One afternoon this past weekend, while I was watching football, I re-installed Linux Mint on my laptop at least three times.

I always use the following basic partition layout on all my Linux setups:
/
/home
swap

Plus I do routine backups of my /home.

With each re-install ( I was playing with Xfce and Mate, both 18.2), I selected the "Other" install option. I selected each partition, and used the "Change" button on the installer, then marked /for use as ext4 and format and marked /home as ext4 and NO format. I make sure that the bootloader is listed for loading on /dev/sda. and mash the go button. As long as the /home does not get formatted, then it won't be necessary to recover from a backup - but having the backup is absolutely critical.

It's a few steps, but it's the same few steps every time, and does not take long at all. The neat thing is it works every time without fail. I use the same process on my Kubuntu desktop machine, since the installer is the same.
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Re: What happens after 2021 with 18.x?

Post by Rocky Bennett »

I never create a swap partition. This is 2018, I see no need for a swap partition.
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Re: What happens after 2021 with 18.x?

Post by Hoser Rob »

skywalker89 wrote:thank you!!!

but 18.x is a LTS till .. 2021?

After that, it immediately dies? No more security updates, so it can get hacked? ...
You can get hacked NOW. If you run a release that's gone end of life you are just asking to get hacked. Begging for it.

My experience has always been that I intend to stay with an LTS release until it goes EOL but I've always installed a new release before that.
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Re: What happens after 2021 with 18.x?

Post by Pjotr »

Hoser Rob wrote:My experience has always been that I intend to stay with an LTS release until it goes EOL but I've always installed a new release before that.
Same here. :lol:
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Re: What happens after 2021 with 18.x?

Post by Fred Barclay »

Moem wrote:
Pjotr wrote:Note that in case of a separate /home partition, it's a wise precaution to retain only those customized user settings that are essential to you (such as, for example, ~/.mozilla and ~/.thunderbird).

Otherwise you might encounter conflicts caused by customized user settings that were useful in the old Linux Mint version series (e.g. 17.x), but are wrong for the new Linux Mint version series (e.g. 18.x).
Have you ever seen such conflicts happening in the real world?

Note that I just went from 17.3 32-bits to 18.2 64-bits, retaining my /home partition, with no house cleaning of any kind and encountered exactly zero conflicts. This is not advice, just anecdata. But it worked for me.

I figured that if it didn't work out well, I could always do a clean install after all, and import just what was needed. So it was a pretty safe experiment. And it worked out well.
Being a bit of anecdotal evidence, and not even concerning Mint directly, I often have trouble when I preserve /home and move from LMDE to Arch,even though both have MATE 1.18. Borders are missing, themes look weird, until I track down the offending .config files and delete them.

If that occurs when moving cross-distro but keeping the same DE, it wouldn't be suprising to me if some users had trouble when moving from 17.x to 18.x, if they kept /home.
@Moem apparently it worked out pretty well for you though. :)
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Re: What happens after 2021 with 18.x?

Post by jglen490 »

Having /home on a separate partition makes so much sense in so many ways, when it comes to installing an updated or new distro. Of course, you will have a recent backup before starting. Recent as in right before installing the new distro/distro version. Then connect the install medium, keep your partitions, format the / partition, DON'T format /home, mash the install button, then sit back and watch the show. If something goes bad with /home, at least you'll have a backup to recover from. Last weekend, I installed a different Linux Mint on my Toshiba "labtop" at least three times and never had to touch my /home - it just showed up every time..

But it's Linux, and Linux is about choice, so if the default is everything installed to the / partition with Linux Mint, then so be it :D Like Frank Sinatra, I'll do it my way.

So come 2021, it will be a new version complete with new software and a balanced configuration of fresh apps.

On my Kubuntu desktop machine, I'm looking forward to the next LTS 18.04 in a few months. Same thing, mess with the / partition, leave /home alone, mash the button, sit back and watch. Piece of cake followed by a slice of pie.
jglen490

Re: What happens after 2021 with 18.x?

Post by jglen490 »

Rocky Bennett wrote:I never create a swap partition. This is 2018, I see no need for a swap partition.
The calendar has nothing to do with that. Your machine specs have everything to do with it. There are lots of "small" machines, even these days.

I doubt that I've used swap much, if at all. But, it's there if needed and doesn't take away anything from disk that will be missed.
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Re: What happens after 2021 with 18.x?

Post by Termy »

I wish it were the default, too; seems practical to me, regardless of the size of the system. In the long run, it helps the user if something goes wrong. Whereas plonking everything into / just makes me think of the whole 'don't put all your eggs into one basket' adage. I'm not in favor of it being envforced, just suggested as the default or something.
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Re: What happens after 2021 with 18.x?

Post by Termy »

SnuffGear wrote: Wed May 03, 2017 8:07 am So......, every time I do a major update, 17 > 18 or 18 > 19 etc..., I have to redo my whole setup? Seems like a real PITA every few years.
It's not exactly abnormal, though. This behavior has been expected from Windows users for a very long time, and likely Mac users as well. Although with Windows, it supposedly came to an end with Windows 10, along with a lot of other things which came to an end, like privacy, security, and the ability to breathe at one's own will! :roll: It's not just a couple of years, either, it's 5 years; that's a long time, and installation is fast and IMO effortless.
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Re: What happens after 2021 with 18.x?

Post by Bolle1961 »

You can upgrade and keep your settings
https://community.linuxmint.com/tutorial/view/2316
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Re: What happens after 2021 with 18.x?

Post by glitchathon »

For nearly a decade, I had a separate /home partition. But lately, I stopped. I prefer to back up only the configurations I care about, which is surprisingly little. A like having a fresh /home drive with a fresh install.
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Re: What happens after 2021 with 18.x?

Post by lsemmens »

There are still machines out there running Windows 98, so why would Mint 18 stop running just because it is no longer being updated. Yes, unpatched systems can be a security risk, but think of it like this. Is the door suddenly going to swing wide open just because it is out of LTS? FWIW My computers are all running hard drives that are between 2 and 15 years old. Some may be even older.
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Re: What happens after 2021 with 18.x?

Post by Pjotr »

lsemmens wrote: Tue Apr 03, 2018 12:13 am There are still machines out there running Windows 98, so why would Mint 18 stop running just because it is no longer being updated. Yes, unpatched systems can be a security risk, but think of it like this. Is the door suddenly going to swing wide open just because it is out of LTS?
Wrong analogy.

In the digital world, by means of the internet, it's much more likely that your "door will suddenly swing open" for criminals. Because digital burglaries are so easily scalable.
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Re: What happens after 2021 with 18.x?

Post by Moem »

lsemmens wrote: Tue Apr 03, 2018 12:13 am Yes, unpatched systems can be a security risk, but think of it like this. Is the door suddenly going to swing wide open just because it is out of LTS?
Yes, if that's how you want to express it, then that is exactly what's going to happen.

There are plenty of machines still running old versions of Windows. There is also such a thing as botnets.
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Re: What happens after 2021 with 18.x?

Post by Cosmo. »

Ever heard about WannaCry?
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Re: What happens after 2021 with 18.x?

Post by lsemmens »

No the door will NOT suddenly swing open because that door is already open, it's just that it has yet to be found to be open. The only difference being that newly discovered exploits will no longer be covered when the LTS expires. You might park your car in the driveway for years with the keys in the ignition before someone steals it. The only thing that changed was that somebody bent on theft discovered your car with the keys in the ignition.
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