New to linux especially repositories!

[kilobit]

I have a few question that I need help with.
Ok, I have a laptop that I wanted to put lxde on but the downloads are gone so its being non productive in at the moment. Is there a way to install an oder version then update it when the new one comes out?
Also, I am running pclinux2010beta on this computer now. When the final comes out will I be able to upgrade without reinstalling it? Like I said I am new to how things work around here but I am not sure what I need to do, but I was hoping to have this laptop running for something this weekend.
Can anyone guide me to understand how this works.

[Joble]

Yes.  It is possible.  You can download and install the openbox beta and add any other desktop to it using it's task package as Texstar described in this post:

If you install the Openbox version, you can install KDE 4.4.2 with the task-kde4-minimal package. Then you can select KDE from the GDM Login Session Menu and you are in like Flynn.

But really, when final comes out you will need to install it.

I any case, if you really must play (believe me, I play a lot) then have at it, and good luck.  

I liked your desktop descriptions htm.  Saved it to my desktop and opened it.  Nice bit of research.

[Rudge]

I liked your desktop descriptions htm.  Saved it to my desktop and opened it.  Nice bit of research.

+1
 I did the same and it was well thought out and written.

[kilobit]

I appreciate that but I will take no credit for that as I copied it from a post that was 3 pages down from mine and converted it into a htm file from oO..
So, If I want to make a "solid" computer that I will not have to reinstall anything on ever (just updates), then I should stick with the stable releases right?
Also, if I had installed 2009 final then would I be able to upgrade or does everyone have to reinstall their os every year?  The better I get at learning  this stuff the more people I can bring here and I can do my part to helping the community. I appreciate the (warm fuzzy) feeling that I get when I am on these forums and it surely beats the hell out of the bsd forums, lol.

[Bald Brick]

Also, if I had installed 2009 final then would I be able to upgrade

You'd have to reinstall anyway.

or does everyone have to reinstall their os every year?

Going by past experience I'd say that every third or fourth year would be more likely (if you keep your setup fully updated). But the future is always more difficult to predict than the past.

[kilobit]

Ok, well would you have to reinstall to keep receiving updates? I am still using window NT server for a client of mine and it is rock solid for what it does. Granted It has not got any updates in years for the os itself, however it regularly gets program updates like firefox, etc.
Could I theoretically keep the 2010beta2 going on indefinite? When will it stop updating itself, and will certain programs be unable to update themselves if it got to this point?

I know these are alot of questions and these questions are probably  "Disrtro-specific" as well.  The only time I ever upgraded windows was when a program refused to install unless something else was needed, or something was broken (that I used) and a patch fixed the issue.

Is this the same type of thing we are dealing with here or will I get badgered when I come here in 2015 asking a question about pclinux2009-final?

[Bald Brick]

Ok, well would you have to reinstall to keep receiving updates?

No. But at some point the updates will probably break your system.

I am still using window NT server for a client of mine and it is rock solid for what it does. Granted It has not got any updates in years for the os itself, however it regularly gets program updates like firefox, etc.
Could I theoretically keep the 2010beta2 going on indefinite?

You might, but that's not what betas are for. A beta version is for testing, to help the developers find the bugs that otherwise would make the final release less than rock solid.

When will it stop updating itself, and will certain programs be unable to update themselves if it got to this point?

You could probably keep updating programs. Whether the updated versions would work is another question. The point is that if you install 2010 final when it becomes available, you should be able to keep your system fully functional for a very long time.

In certain circumstances you may be able to continue using an updated beta, but when it breaks you can't expect much support.

I know these are alot of questions and these questions are probably  "Disrtro-specific" as well.  The only time I ever upgraded windows was when a program refused to install unless something else was needed, or something was broken (that I used) and a patch fixed the issue.

Then you probably didn't start out with a beta version of Windows.

Is this the same type of thing we are dealing with here or will I get badgered when I come here in 2015 asking a question about pclinux2009-final?

Well, somebody might suggest that you could consider installing PCLinuxOS 2010 final....

[kilobit]

You could probably keep updating programs. Whether the updated versions would work is another question. The point is that if you install 2010 final when it becomes available, you should be able to keep your system fully functional for a very long time.

A very long time? What about when 2011 final comes out? Then 2010 will be obsolete right. I am not being argumentative I am just trying to learn, thanks everyone.

[Joble]

I updated my 2007 install up to 2010 Beta.  Three years without a reinstall.  On another CPU (2009) Tex and crew managed to upgrade the gcc core which many believed was not possible.  If you install 2010 final, I can pretty much say (based on my experience so far) that a reinstall will not be necessary, for years.  You ask, will you have to reinstall 2011?  Maybe.... don't know.  But go with another distro?  Reinstall every 6 Months, that's how most distros work, but not this one.  Go with what works for you, really, even if it's windows7.  Stick with us, and we will shoot it straight, as best we can.  You won't be disappointed, you might even join us in the sandbox.

[Duvid]

 In a lot of instances a clean install might only involve formatting the /root partition and leaving /home untouched. This leaves all your personal settings, data,  and other partitions unscathed.With how quickly PCLOS can go from LiveCD to install, that has taken me less than 20 minutes. From past experience I know what apps I use, look for a few others and I am up and running in less 40 minutes. Not a big deal for me, kind of like opening up a new present. Then you can go on forums to ask questions if need be, where there is always someone to help.

[skyhawk]

PCLinuxOS 2009.4 LXDE is my second Linux OS; Mandriva Free 2007.0 was my first. I was slightly daunted by the rolling-release concept of PCLOS at first, but now I think that it is the only way to go. I was also considering loading a second hard drive with Mandriva's minimal 2010.0 LXDE release, but I have now discarded this idea. The reviews testifying of PCLOS' superiority over Mandriva are overwhelming.

If my install of PCLOS LXDE can be taken as a good example, a fresh install every few years is nothing to fear. My install went almost effortlessly, and the OS itself works perfectly. The only glitches can be faulted to individual software applications, which are minor, and can be attributed only to the developers of those individual applications, not the PCLOS development team.

Be advised also that repository packages are available on DVD, if you do not like prolonged downloading sessions, and especially if you do not have broadband access. I have a custom repository on a flash drive, making package installations very fast and easy.

[kjpetrie]

A very long time? What about when 2011 final comes out? Then 2010 will be obsolete right. I am not being argumentative I am just trying to learn, thanks everyone.

I hope not. The periodic revised ISOs are for new installs so you don't have to update so much after the install. If you try to upgrade too much at once things can get confused and break, but if you've been upgrading regularly (say monthly or more often) you should just keep rolling. Every few years things change so radically that a normal upgrade becomes seriously difficult to arrange and that's when everyone has to re-install. So I installed this as 2007 and it evolved into 2009 and eventually became the early version of 2010. Then Tex hit a problem and decided he could not keep upgrading 2010 so everyone will have to re-install from the 2010 final. Then we just carry on. In normal times (which this is not) if you are fully upgraded from the repository you have the latest version, whatever you installed from. The only differences will be cosmetic (wallpapers and themes).  A new release is normally for new users to install from, not for existing users to upgrade. This coming one is an exception. If exceptions happen too often the rolling release will lose its value, which no one wants.

[kilobit]

A very long time? What about when 2011 final comes out? Then 2010 will be obsolete right. I am not being argumentative I am just trying to learn, thanks everyone.

I hope not. The periodic revised ISOs are for new installs so you don't have to update so much after the install. If you try to upgrade too much at once things can get confused and break, but if you've been upgrading regularly (say monthly or more often) you should just keep rolling. Every few years things change so radically that a normal upgrade becomes seriously difficult to arrange and that's when everyone has to re-install. So I installed this as 2007 and it evolved into 2009 and eventually became the early version of 2010. Then Tex hit a problem and decided he could not keep upgrading 2010 so everyone will have to re-install from the 2010 final. Then we just carry on. In normal times (which this is not) if you are fully upgraded from the repository you have the latest version, whatever you installed from. The only differences will be cosmetic (wallpapers and themes).  A new release is normally for new users to install from, not for existing users to upgrade. This coming one is an exception. If exceptions happen too often the rolling release will lose its value, which no one wants.

Thanks you definitely clarified this for me in a way that I understand. So the best practice I imagine for personal home users would be to automatically update every couple of weeks or so.
-Thanks alot for the input!

I do have a question and this might be silly or dumb, but since there are normally yearly finals, then why dont you leave them downloadable for other people? At least the previous final release. This weekend I needed to do some work online and it would have been nice to be able to used some sort of pclinos live cd but I did not see anything available.

[Old-Polack]

I do have a question and this might be silly or dumb, but since there are normally yearly finals, then why dont you leave them downloadable for other people? At least the previous final release. This weekend I needed to do some work online and it would have been nice to be able to used some sort of pclinos live cd but I did not see anything available.

You are under a misapprehension that there are yearly "final" release liveCDs. There are not. The plan is to have quarterly .iso images made available for new installations. They will not be "final" releases, just a current snapshot of where the latest release is at the time the snapshot is taken. That system would already be in effect had it not been decided that the number of upgrades wanted at this time was greater than could be handled without difficulty in a rolling manner.

As explained earlier, this release should be good for a few years, as long as the upgrades are applied on a regular basis. The last full release was really the 2007 release. I have a test release, TR4 from before 2007 was finalized, that was upgraded on an almost daily basis, until it is now as upgraded as can be; until when the present repo was frozen to work on the 2010 release. That's 3 years of upgrading without a reinstallation. That is the norm for PCLinuxOS. The full release before that was from 2004 until the release of 2007. Again, 3 years between releases.

[skyhawk]

... This weekend I needed to do some work online and it would have been nice to be able to used some sort of pclos live cd but I did not see anything available.

PCLOS Live CD's of assorted "flavors" can be ordered from various distributors. I purchased a PCLinuxOS 2009.4 LXDE Live CD along with two disc-sets of repository DVD's. The latest repository disc-set is dated 01-10-2010. Purchasing discs is an option if you do not want to download ISO's, or if ISO's are not available for some reason. In my case, I have dial-up access only, so purchased discs are very helpful to me. They save me from "begging" someone to download ISO's.