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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Help me understand Linux distros updates. (startrek.website)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Hi I'm relatively new to Linux. There's talk about updating, say from Fedora 37 to 38.

Is this something that needs to happen manually? If I solely update through the updater software, I'm not getting the whole "38"?

I understand that, of course, I won't see updates on the installer or I won't use a new supported partition type unless I install it again.

Apart from that, what's missing? Some software won't be updated? The kernel?

Thank you all!

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Is this something that needs to happen manually?

Yes, sort of. It needs to be initiated manually, but you should get an update notification, and the actual upgrade itself is automatic once you initiate it. Clicking on the notification will take you to the Software app > Updates section, from where you can do the upgrade.

If I solely update through the updater software, I'm not getting the whole "38"?

No, you will get the whole 38 (what makes you think you won't?). Everything will get updated. The key thing to remember is to update all other applications/kernel etc and restart your system first, before you do the actual OS upgrade. This is documented here: https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/quick-docs/upgrading-fedora-new-release/#_upgrading_to_the_next_fedora_workstation_release

Some folks recommend disabling third-party repos before you do the actual upgrade, like copr, RPMFusion etc, but personally I haven't had any issues leaving them enabled - as long as you install all applicable updates and reboot prior to the upgrade, you should be fine.

If you want more control over the process though, you can always upgrade manually using dnf. Although there's not much benefit doing to this via the commandline (except for power users/admins who need the control/visibility), it's worth reading the post-upgrade tasks section to run some cleanup tasks (not a 100% sure if the GUI updater tool does this).

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

This is everything I was looking for, thank you so much!

what makes you think you won’t?

I'm not sure, I think the emphasis on news about distro update around the web. It makes me confused as to what's so important about that, but I now understand perfectly. I thought it worked a bit more like a rolling distro and I now understand what a rolling distro is :)