“Dear Matt, I have been using Ubuntu for a couple years now, and I am pretty comfortable with day-to-day computing on the platform. However when it comes time to do a version upgrade with a fresh install (I don’t trust the upgrader, it doesn’t work properly in my experience) I’m often frustrated by having to install a whole bunch of software, grab a bunch of PPAs, and deal with a bunch of broken settings. I’ve been using DejaVu to backup and transfer my home folder, but I’m wondering what is the right way to do a version upgrade?”
Well Kyle, it sounds like you’re half way there. You already understand the value of backing up your home directory. And this is a good thing, as it’s easier to piece together lost software than it is lost personal documents, pictures, etc. All of this said, I am going to show you a bullet proof method for backing up your software. This method works for both migrating software, as well as simply doing a fresh installation on the same system. Be sure to follow the steps carefully. Read the rest