Linux Upgrade

Well, security updates for Mandrake Linux 10.1 expire as of the end of this month. So I sent away, and yesterday Mr. UPS Man delivered a Mandriva 2006 Powerpack to my door. Mandriva, of course, being the new name for what used to be Mandrake Linux. (Well, plus a couple of other smaller distros they've absorbed.)

Now I've got to make preparations to install this newer release. Back up personal data. Back up other customized and/or necessary files. Track down RPMs or tarballs for various third-party software I use. And so forth. If the past is any guide, a leisurely installation ought to take less than 45 minutes. Then downloading Mandriva 2006 security updates over DSL (which I didn't yet have back when I installed Mandrake 10.1) ought to be a snap. And restoring and tinkering and getting everything squared away, well, give me a full day off and I ought to be back up and running. Though with Lent coming up in just a few days, it's not clear whether I'm going to get around to it this Monday, or next Monday, or when.