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from the if-some-is-good-then-too-much-is-not-enough? dept.
Bruce Byfield's Blog on Linux Magazine explores the upgrade treadmill.
Byfield relates an old comic by Christiann MacAuley that depicts how Linux, Windows, and Mac users relates to a pop-up announcement saying: "An Update is Available for Your Computer".
The Linux user is enthusiastic, the Windows user groans, and the Mac user is glad it will only cost him $99.
One reason for switching to Linux used to be to get off the forced upgrades path common to proprietary software. Yet Linux users seem to have kept the urge to upgrade, even when the necessity was removed. Even when security fixes are back ported, to Long Term Support releases, we just can't seem to resist an upgrade.
Byfield explores the issue of upgrades, and why we Linux users feel compelled to perform major upgrades. Not only the minor patches to fix bugs that happen ever week. We routinely seem to rush in and put our entire systems at risk by installing complete system upgrades to new kernels, whole new desktops, sometimes new file systems, and even the dread systemd.
It's an interesting read, and set me wondering why so many Linux users chase upgrades for little or no new features.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Appalbarry on Wednesday October 28 2015, @02:43AM
Or the wrong answer. I routinely accept all of the upgrades recommended by my Mint box without a second thought.
That's because, over several years and OS versions, I can think of perhaps one upgrade that broke something. In my experience a suggested upgrade to a Linux program or component might actually make things better, and won't break something else.
My experience with Windows, or Android, or Google products has been that every upgrade manages to bring some new and frustrating headache - usually one that should have been foreseen. That's why an update to any of those is something to be delayed until it can't be avoided.
The only time that I upgrade the actual OS is when I add a new hard drive, so about every eighteen months. And honestly, if a drive hadn't died or filled up I would have stayed on whatever OS version I was using.
I'll agree that it's largely untrue that most regular Linux users update OS versions at the drop of a hat, but suggest that for those that do it's because they're confident that it will go smoothly and painlessly.
(YMMV; Some Assembly Required)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 28 2015, @03:28AM
Yeah. I went to 10. I kinda regret it now. Full screen apps are hit or miss if they will work. Most everything else is 'ok' (the 15 second startup times, and a 5MB per second bump on my wireless were a nice surprise). Figure it will be 6mo to a year before the kinks are worked out (as usual).
With linux it is 'hey I know it will fix something or be at least somewhat better'. I will probably in the next couple of weeks will be upgrading my ubuntu boxes to the latest. Something will break. I will then spend most of the day chasing it down like most computer issues.
I got off Apple long ago because of how they screwed over a company I worked for (best job I ever had). From what I have seen most people upgrade because they implicitly trust Apple to do them right. Not true but it is the perception they have.