As a user what I observerd was that after ubuntu was updated lyx stopped
working, that is a fact. I think we all agree that shouldn't happen, so
it would be good to find the cause and make sure it doesn't happen in
future upgrades.
...
That should be the principle, but my experience is that if an upgrade
is flawlessly successfull then you have been very lucky and I think that
looking for upgrade bugs (which can be specific to that particular
upgrade) can be both difficult and a waste of time for developers.
What I do (and I suggest) is the following: partition your disk so to have
two linux-dedicated partitions, say 1 and 2, and let's say you have a
working linux on 1. When you want to install a new linux distribution (not
necessarly ubuntu) then install it on 2 and just play with it
configuring everything for your needs. When it looks stable to you, move
your personal data (your home) on the new partition and don't use 1 any
longer. This way, 1 will be available for the next installation.
Two objections can be made to this schema:
1) there is a waste of disk space
2) it looks like a waste of time, since you have to set up everything
again.
What I can say is that:
1) disk space is cheap nowadays: if you store space hungry data (videos,
pictures and music) on a separate partition to be mounted separately, 50Gb
is more than enough for the system. Moreover, you can think of it as a
backup: you still have your good old working system with your home, since
you don't touch it.
2) this is true only if the upgrade is smooth. Otherwise, it is probably
true the contrary. Moreover,if you pass from one ubuntu to another and you
keep track of what you had to do to have a system which fits your needs,
very likely the next time it will be much faster (and nearly as fast as a
smooth upgrade).
Regards
Fabio
