To Update or not to update, that is the question...

[MurphCID]

To Update, or not to Update, that is the question. Whether it is nobler in the mind to keep your system current, or live with the concern that stability would be compromised? [Apologies to the Bard] I read the comments by the developers about updating, and for my part, I totally agree. However I understand that many out in Linux-land fear compromising their exhaustively constructed systems. So what are our opinions? For me, I am religious about updates, I don't miss one. I run the latest version (my System 76 systems almost demand it). The only old system is my dad's 19.3 installation which I made look like Windows XP for him. My brother maintains it for him, and he does not know the difference. We are probably going to update it to 20+ here in the next six months.

[LanceM]

A friend I did an installation for, on a Toshiba Satellite, of Mint 18.3 when it first came out, never updated once. It was still running okay 3 weeks ago when I put a fresh install of 20.1 on it. He forgot what I told him originally about updating. I do all updates and in 7 years only one hiccup with a kernel update on a Ryzen 3400G I built for a friend.

[BenTrabetere]

With a few exceptions I apply updates as they appear. I delay for a couple of days any updates to the kernel, graphics and network drivers, and a few system-ish packages (ImageMagick* immediately comes to mind) to give the problems a chance to surface, and they get applied only after I create a Timeshift snapshot.

That said, I would not be happy if the Mint developers moved to some sort of process where updates were applied automatically, especially if this was mandatory. Even though I apply updates myself somewhat automatically, I want to know what is being updated and why. I do not think this will happen, despite the worst fears from the alarmists in the Blogosphere.

I would not be surprised if a nag feature was added to Update Manager. I can see where this might be beneficial, especially for the Level 1 and Level 2 updates of yesteryear.

*ImageMagick is an important part of my photo processing workflow. A couple of years ago there was an IM security update that came with a policy change. It broke a lot of stuff for me, specifically with creating PDFs using the convert and mogrify tools. It was easy to remedy once someone figured out what was causing the problem, but it caused me endless and unnecessary grief for a few days.

[Portreve]

I've had to revert back from 20.1 to 20.0 because of HP, and them putting themselves in the position of having to rev their stuff to deploy the same printer plug-in in a slightly iterated OS release.

[old_noob]

I always update as soon as they pop up on my screen. In 7 years of Mint, this broke something exactly once, and it was cured simply by reverting to the previous kernel. I back up faithfully so the worst case scenario is that I might have to waste 30 minutes reinstalling.

[LanceM]

I always update as soon as they pop up on my screen. In 7 years of Mint, this broke something exactly once, and it was cured simply by reverting to the previous kernel. I back up faithfully so the worst case scenario is that I might have to waste 30 minutes reinstalling.

Similar experience to me. I used Mint before I switched full time, but mostly just dabbled at it.

[Moonstone Man]

To Update, or not to Update, that is the question. Whether it is nobler in the mind to keep your system current, or live with the concern that stability would be compromised?

The correct answer is both.

On machines used regularly as user machines, updating regularly is a very good habit because updates bring new features, better security and bug fixes.

On machines that run 24x7 as a server for example, updating regularly is potentially a very bad habit because updates can bring changed functionality and unplanned or undesirable features that are otherwise desirable on a user machine.

I prefer my user systems to be up to date, and will update one machine only, reboot it and do some basic tests to ensure that the update didn't do something it shouldn't. Only then will I update all my other user machines.

I prefer my servers to be as stable as possible because stability means much less change. However in doing that, there are trade-offs. One has to decide if up to date security is more important than having a server up 24x7 that is responsible for delivering network services, including DNSSec, web proxy, DHCP, NAT, DNS, updates to connected user machines, and serving several hundred thousand files. Since my servers run NAT, and the servers themselves run behind another NAT on a completely different node (dual IP masquerading), the odds of someone breaking in from outside are very low (touch wood), so it's a no-brainer. For my servers, service wins over fully up to date security, and up to date security is obtained by planning, as in planning when the server can come down, and having a backup server hooked up and ready to go should something go awry.

So, with proper planning, which includes risk assessment, mitigation and contingency planning, there is absolutely no need for 'living with concerns' of any kind.

[mikeflan]

I too keep my system up to date, but I don't jump on it right away. Sometimes I'm not in a good place for a restart. Sometimes I hold off on some packages (like the deprecated bind9) just because I heard somebody else having a problem with it. But I apply them all eventually - usually within a week of them first appearing.

[motoryzen]

I've had to revert back from 20.1 to 20.0 because of HP, and them putting themselves in the position of having to rev their stuff to deploy the same printer plug-in in a slightly iterated OS release.

per https://linuxmint.com/rel_ulyssa_cinnamon_whatsnew.php

Mint team talked about ipp

" In Linux Mint 20 (and Ubuntu 20.04), the distribution shipped with ippusbxd, an implementation of IPP over USB. Thanks to IPP, also referred to as driverless printing/scanning, devices can be detected and used without the need for any drivers and in a standard way. Unfortunately the presence of IPP over USB also means drivers are bypassed and inhibited. Ippusbxd turned out to be a disappointment and created more problems than it solved.

In Linux Mint 20.1 ippusbxd was removed so printing and scanning work the same way as in Linux Mint 19.x and prior releases.

HPLIP was upgraded to version 3.20.11 to bring the latest support for HP printers and scanner.

Documentation sections were added to the Linux Mint User Guide for IPP-USB and Sane-Airscan, two very new yet promising projects which might be included by default in future releases.

Both ipp-usb and sane-airscan are available in the Linux Mint 20.1 repositories. Try them out if you can't get your printer or scanner to work with software drivers."

So I wonder if you need to manually search fir ipp-usb and/or sane-airscan in the synaptic package manager and install them to fix that head. If you have a spare storage drive, you could install LM 20.1 into that drive and try it that way before any updates and after some updates (Shrugs).

[Portreve]

HPLIP cannot successfully download the plugin under 20.1. I can (though I'm not going to for the time being) start with LM 20, then upgrade to 20.1, and it will work. The problem is when there occurs some kind of event which eventually requires you to reinstall the plugin, you're screwed.

[MurphCID]

I have no issues with my wireless hp printer. Mint found it right away and installed it without me asking.

[Pjotr]

After I setup a pc and it's fully working I never update and I never had a problem on windows, no viruses or error screens.
Now on mint I 'll do the same judging based on a little research here and on the web in general.
All you have to do is clean fookies and histories before and after logging in to bank accounts and critical sites and be careful on what you clicking.

That's..... (cough) rather unwise. And that's the bloody understatement of the year.

[freshminted]

Clear fookies. I like it!

[Pjotr]

Clear fookies. I like it!

Yup. Cleanliness is next to godliness, so always clean your fookies.

[Portreve]

After I setup a pc and it's fully working I never update and I never had a problem on windows, no viruses or error screens.
Now on mint I 'll do the same judging based on a little research here and on the web in general.
All you have to do is clean fookies and histories before and after logging in to bank accounts and critical sites and be careful on what you clicking.

Clear fookies. I like it!

Yup. Cleanliness is next to godliness, so always clean your fookies.

I take my fookies out at least once a month, use a can of compressed air to get into the internal spinning bits, and then I scrub them down with a brush and some alcohol. But, and here's the important part, I never clean them on a Tuesday. Ever.

When my connection works is superslow! I never update.

[rickNS]

Wasn't going to reply to this thread, As I am one of the ones who don't run updates...OK with the exception of browser updates, and they're not on any particular schedule either.

Now before anyone calls me stupid in so many words, lets take a look at the numbers. 124,000+ members here, I've been here a decade, in that time, no one has, or knows anyone who has been infected. Repeat, zero known documented infections. In contrast to that, and while I admit the number is low there have definitely been a few support threads started because of "updates causing trouble". Here's just one simple search,
https://www.google.com/search?q=linux+m ... uxmint.com

So both groups, the updaters, and the non-updaters, will have backups...right. The updaters will have in addition to data backup, time shift snapshots, and / or a clone, or system image etc. Me a non-updater will have data backups, in addition to that I have extra identical machines, and I have a custom .ISO installer that fits on a 4GB stick (2.9GB actually), and takes less than 10 minutes to install (no extra language packs for one thing). It's also better than a cloned image when propagating extra machines as there is no fstab fixing to be done. Because even though it contains all hidden user files/preferences, it's still an install.

The numbers don't lie. I am far less likely to need my backup than someone who does do regular updates.

That's what I do, why I do it, and how I'm protected.

PS, FWIW when I came here I was completely sick of window updates, and started a very similar thread, about "important updated" you know when updates had "levels", and Mint 9 at the time needed some 400 updates.

I have read a quite a few of the security update change logs, and it seemed to me they all go about like this;

"An attacker "could possibly" "do something" if you do some stupid thing, or a combination of two stupid things."

from that it does seem that the developers are trying hard to protect the, lets say, less-than-savy users from themselves.

I've saved myself a lot of time over the years by not updating, my backup is in place, I have no worries.

[Moonstone Man]

So both groups, the updaters, and the non-updaters, will have backups...right.

What planet did you say you were from?

[MurphCID]

Clear fookies. I like it!

Yup. Cleanliness is next to godliness, so always clean your fookies.

The need that sweet smell that they get post bath.

[MurphCID]

How about firmware? I go through phases where I update it, and phases where I ignore firmware. For the most part firmware updates are important, but are they critical? Most laptops are a PITA to update firmware, and my desktop is at times given to a nerve wracking update.

[Pjotr]

30% of people who update have serious problems spending hours to recover.
99% of people who do not update nothing except the browser enjoy life.

Substantiation please. Evidence for those percentages.