[K12OSN] RE: upgrades

[Sean Harbour]

The gentleman comparing linux with a 2 year old car that you can't get tires for is missing the point.
Most computers, and servers, do not exist by themselves. Their environment is constantly changing, and they need
to be upgraded or patched fairly constantly to keep up with the new features and threats from the internet.

Sure, it may seem like a 2 year old car that you can't get tires for, but when the new car is free, and it comes with many
improvements, it's a bargain. Especially if the road has changed enough the old car just can't keep up anymore. As long as you haven't welded your possessions to the old car, it's pretty easy to transfer your "stuff" to the new vehicle, if you have another machine to help facilitate the transfer. 

Many people on this list are using a separate file server for all their data storage. Think of it as a trailer for your car. You get a new car, and hook your trailer with your "stuff" to the new car. Not much danger of losing anything if the new car crashes and burns.

The new yum tools for redhat/fedora make it much easier to keep up. Maybe within the year we will be able to do a simple system upgrade without reloading the box. Fun times!

My solution for my relatives with computers that still ask for my help is to load Knoppix permanently on their machines harddrive. Scanners, printers, etc all have been supported so far. Security updates are as simple as "apt-get update", and system OS upgrades are "apt-get upgrade". The machines are trouble free, easy to add software "apt-get synaptic; synaptic", easy to administer remotely, etc.
Most other versions of linux have similiar features, but Knoppix has worked quite well and is the quickest install in my experience.

Sean Harbour
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