If I copy over my home folder to a fresh install ...

[avocado]

Hullo!

I want to move from dapper to hardy, so a fresh install seems the way forward for me.
If I copy over my home folder to a fresh install ... what will be recognised by the newly installed apps?
For example will kmail find my old email adresses and settings?

Thank you.

[askrieger]

Re: If I copy over my home folder to a fresh install ...

If I copy over my home folder to a fresh install ... what will be recognised by the newly installed apps?

Many of settings will be preserved. Some won't be. A program with a badly formed configuration file may behave in an unacceptable manner. Unfortunately, I suspect that no one is sufficiently familiar with all the software available in Kubuntu to state which programs have changed the formats of their configuration files at SOME point in the last two years. Of course you could do what you propose and find out the hard way. Then, you can report back to the rest of us.

Fortunately, there is a safer way. It is much slower, though, and the results are not guaranteed. You can successively, upgrade from 6-06 to 6-10 to 7-04 to 7-10 to 8-04. At each upgrade, certain package installation scripts will notice that their is a difference between the old and new configuration files and ask you which one to use. The script might not tell you though that the old file will mess up the program, though. Other packages may not even inform you of the difference in the configuration files, although they are supposed to do so.

In my view, the best strategy, is to generate a list of all the customizations that you can remember or find. Then do a fresh install of Hardy Heron (8-04) and redo all your customizations by hand. Sorry, but those are the facts as I understand them. As usual, I may be wrong, though.

[marshallbanana]

Re: If I copy over my home folder to a fresh install ...

I would also recommend backing up some of the most important things just in case. For instance kontakt will allow you to export your contact list & calendar so you can keep spare copies just in case. They probably won't be needed and it will all be fine but you never know...

[avocado]

Re: If I copy over my home folder to a fresh install ...

Thanks a lot guys!

I think I will fresh install and then try copying the home folder and various configuration files over bit by bit.
That way any probs should surface manageably - if not its all backed-up and safe anyway.

I will report back as suggested.

Cheers.

[toad]

Re: If I copy over my home folder to a fresh install ...

I have kept my home partition from Debian Etch via Lenny, with a couple of Kubuntus in between and am now in 8.04 - can't remember anything weird happening...