I recently upgraded my
Debian system to its latest stable version codenamed
buster, or otherwise called
Debian GNU/Linux 10. The process was almost seamless, contrary to what I expected regarding OS upgrades. I backed-up my files just to be sure (a good practice anyway), but it was unnecessary. One glitch occurred because I issued the
upgrade command from a graphical console window, and the
lockscreen program was updated and presumably inserting the default config values. Later the
lockscreen was activated, and typing the password did not work because the display environment was also upgraded. To fix the broken upgrade, I was forced to reboot and going into safe or command-line mode. I then issued
dpkg --configure -a to try to fix some configuration problems, and also:
apt --fix-broken install. For the next full-upgrade, go the safe text mode route!
One way to make this process easy is by making a small edit at the
/etc/apt/sources.list file. Instead of putting the codename in the entry (like
stretch), use its status name, e.g.,
stable. One line in that file shows:
deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ stretch main contrib non-free
Edit that to:
deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ stable main contrib non-free
 |
| Debian GNU/Linux 10 (buster) |
Now you don't have to worry, even if you actually forget which is the latest version of
Debian. The system gets continuous updates just like that.
Now I have a nice working
Debian on
buster, its latest version, with the accompanying changes in the look and feel of the various programs. Some updated apps however override the existing config files, and you'll be surprised sometimes.
Way to go
Debian team! Thank you for this brand new working version. Go
Buster!
"No one puts new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new; for he says, 'The old is good.'" (Luke 5:37ff RSV)
