Yesterday tried something close to this topic and made a fatal error on it! This time hopefully will not get anyone at all upset. Basically much of this, I am trying to gain as much insight and also I look for others to learn from my experiences and everyone else's here. If I did not care for anyone here or anywhere, you would never see a post from me again!!! WIth that said, also remember this is only one person's opinion!
To the subject at hand! Yesterday, on my 13.10 I once again viewed the option of upgrading. So, once again I figured would see what was said from more/less the pre-upgrade information. I call it that, since Linux/Ubuntu is at least kind enough to let you know what the results will be, then give you the choice! Not going to mention the other OS's have been on, which that was not the case and you go through the upgrade and then find is all trashed! That is not the subject. Here the focus is the outcome and my own future plans. So, with the pre-upgrade account on everything, I found I was looking at the same results, every time this option is given!
I always find Gnome and Cinnamon are the first to either get fully removed or half re-assembled into something that is not worth a plug nickel!!! Having also installed the Mate desktop in this 13.10 of mine, I found the same would also hold true for that! Next, I find the entire upgrade would be downloading about 2.3gb's!!! Now that is basically about 3/4 of the entire OS as it stands at 3.9gb's on disk/flashdrive. Now, I mentioned this is not the first time I have seen this same type of outcome! I have seen it from 12.10 to 13.04, 13.04 to 13.10 and now this one! Is always the same! I have even done this upgrade a few times and what are the results????
I wind up with an OS that is a shadow of what is was and would have been better off just building from scratch! What I mean in that is either is a bit too complicated to fix to run properly or is completely useless! It never seems the outcome is good and personally am blaming myself as it seems to come from my crazy love of multiple desktops! Now I listed Gnome and Cinnamon since those are the desktops that take the largest hit first!!! In fact those 2 desktops are just wearing me out! In the past so many weeks, I have been doing my utmost to steer clear of those desktops! I have found myself getting deeply involved with the LXDE desktop, and most likely due to the past history I have with it! Has saved my neck a few times after making huge mistakes!!! Is one of the smallest desktops out there, but not in functionality!
In the past, I have also had KDE installed and even though is a large desktop for which, I can never seem to enjoy, it does usually handle upgrades fairly well!!! This is a lot more than I can ever say for Gnome or Cinnamon. I wisened up about KDE and please no one take offense! For me, I just do not like the looks of it and is impossible for me to find my programs. So, I figured "If I am not using it, why have it?" So, for this 13.10 I walked away from KDE but did the programs from KDE I liked the most! I did however install Mate instead which still kept the multiple desktop bit up there!
Now, I am looking at the size of these systems and know that all the desktops combined relatively take up close to half of the entire OS! Therefore, the upgrade size is huge!!! Now, say I was to just go with one or two desktops? I will bet one of my OS's would not even be 2 gigs total! I started asking myself recently, "Why do I need all these desktops?" The answer was because I am getting exactly what I want from any of them!!!! Next, I had to ask the question "Which desktop is dependable and can be eventually toned to the way I would want it?" The answer to that question is LXDE! Sure some of it is due to the elimination of Flashback in 3.12! The rest comes from all the upgrade hassles. Just read my posts and you will see the nightmares I went thru!
Now from some other rants and a little section, you can see have been working at getting the looks for it!!! This is not what this post is about though! This is only for some of us that build OS's to examine what it is that we want to see!!!! Basically, what I am really hoping to instill on everyone out there is if they are to create one of their own systems, do not over complicate things!!!! I am learning this all from the past year and a half or close to it!!!! I guess I am saying at points on all this building have been a real fool!!! I have never really examined what I am talking about right now!!!! So, I am hoping others out there will take heed from all this and it will save them some time!!
Now this next fact may get some people real mad, but is not meant to and only another opinion. To me I constantly notice these 04's come in and they are nice but need work! Just seems more like a beta test than the real thing! Now by the 10's they run like a dream!!!! Have seen it with 12.10 and now 13.10! Just run smooth as silk! So, am starting to kick myself for jumping the gun! When I say that, seems I have always been ready for that 04, but now am going to just wait! Not saying I will not study things, but I think I will just run the 10's and examine the 04's only! Sure, I know 14.04 is an LTS, but does it make a severe difference??? I mean think about it??? How many of us are there that actually run an OS longer than one year??? Hell, I am lucky to run one for more than 6 months, let alone over a year!
I am not talking about the OS's crashing and having to be replaced! I am talking about those of us excited to bring those new changes to our desktops!!! I mean, If I wanted to see the same desktop for 10 years, I would probably just go buy that one, right???? No THANKS! Been there done it and I constantly pray I will never be a slave to that OS again! I do however, think is best to just be one of the ones that waits til the .10's are out before building, but examine the new concepts in the .04's and how they are progressing to completion when finalized for the .10's. Also as I say, I am going to be doing a lot of rethinking what would be best for when 14.10 comes out for a new OS!!!! I sure have enjoyed the improvements that were made and the progression of learning I have experienced!!! Is absolutely priceless in my book! Anyway am really curious how others feel about the O4's, 10's and building OS's! Also, as have said, will be happy if any of what have discussed may help in some way! Best wishes to all and remember, I never mean to get anyone upset! I simply enjoy technology, its progression and sharing my opinions and ideas!