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I am working on Ubuntu13.04. Now Ubuntu13.10 is available. So, I wanted your advice on what added features and advantages I may expect from the latest version.

I read this link to know about the latest version.

Below is an excerpt from the link:

The most important is, of course, the new Linux kernel 3.11.x, which is now the latest stable version available at the time of the launch. It comes with support for more devices and hardware components, better power management, and a ton of other improvements.

I had been getting error messages from Ubuntu13.04 and Ubuntu12.10 that my system has encountered an unexpected error. I wasn't ever able to get rid of this error message although I kept my system up-to-date by updating regularly. If I upgrade my system, this should be of my concern to check whether I'm able to get rid of this.

Also the above link says that one can expect better performance from the latest release.

Is there any time limit within which I can upgrade & post which my OS (Ubuntu13.04) can't be upgraded?

Also I would like to ask if there is any advertisement or post from the company that would focus clearly on the performance of the latest release in contrast with the previous releases?

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  • The general principle with Linux {desk,lap}tops is to keep your install current. Ubuntu issue new versions with, among other things, security updates. – jasonwryan Oct 30 '13 at 7:15
  • I disagree with the suggestion that this question is primarily opinion-based. The OP can be informed of the consequences of lack of support for his OS, of the duration of the available support, of the relative difficulty in upgrading to next release vs fresh install to much later release, of the availability of LTS, of the risk of something going wrong with the upgrade. The relative weight of each of these factors may be left to the reader, but the reader should at least know of these issues. – MariusMatutiae Oct 30 '13 at 12:30
  • @MariusMatutiae Reread the question: the poster wants advice about "what features and advantages I may expect," and whether the upgrade will miraculously fix "unexpected errors" on the current version. Clairvoyancy and regurgitating the release notes don't qualify as valid material for a question here. – jasonwryan Oct 31 '13 at 5:52
  • @jasonwryan You are right to say that I asked for advice as you mentioned in your comment. You have a valid point but what MariusMatutiae answered is the answer that resolved my issue. I wanted to know whether I should upgrade. Even though my point of view was "features and advantages" (because of my limited thinking in this regard) but still what he replied was based on facts. And please note that I got my answer. Any yes if there are people who can reply based on facts, references or specific expertise, they should be obviously welcomed and for that the post shouldn't be put on hold. – Ravi Oct 31 '13 at 7:42
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You should definitely move up to 13.10. Perhaps not immediately (let a few bugs be ironed out), but within a reasonable time frame, perhaps a couple of months.

The reason is a combination of two arguments, the duration of support and the incremental update.

Ubuntu versions which are not marked LTS (Long Term Support) are supported for a brief lapse of time after their release, typically 18 months. Support is of critical importance: it means compatibility with new software packages and with new versions of old software packages adding new features, support of new hardware, critical security updates.

In your case, the situation is even more dire: 13.04 will be supported for a mere 9 months, in contrast with the usual policy. So it is really imperative that you upgrade.

As a footnote, in case you are wondering, LTS versions (8.04, 10.04, 12.04,...) are supported for five years, which means 8.04 has recently run out of support, while 10.04 and 12.04 are still very much supported.

The other half of the argument is that Ubuntu provides a tool to upgrade your system without touching your data, that is only available to switch between LTS version (not your case) and to move to the next release (exactly your case). This tool allows you to retain the packages you have installed in your old version, including the configuration files you may have taylored to your needs, except that the whole process (downloading the new version of the package, suited to your new OS) is fully automated, and will save you a considerable headache.

In other words, if you pass on this opportunity to upgrade, next time you decide to do it you will have to save your data, do a fresh install, re-configure all the packages you previously had, one by one, restore your data. All of this is considerably more tiresome than letting

 sudo do-release-upgrade

run.

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  • You really clarified my case. No words to thank you. Great! Oh! I wasn't aware of the issues that you told. yes, I can't take the burden of doing a fresh install as my system is much tailored, many packages are installed, etc. What you stated is what every user (ubuntu) must know lest he may have to repent for not upgrading in time. You really clarified completely. Please add one more thing: till when can one upgrade from his current version to next? – Ravi Oct 30 '13 at 15:30
  • Depends on what you mean. Version 13.04 means it was released in April 2013; add 9 months, support will cease around Feb 1st 2014. The next release, 14.04 (a LTS, BTW), is scheduled for release, as per its name, in April 2014. I would do it before the end of the year, to be safe with respect to both deadlines. But do keep in mind what peterph said, there is always bound to be something broken in the process. Just be a bit patient. – MariusMatutiae Oct 30 '13 at 15:41
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This depends entirely on your real needs. Upgrades often break at least some parts of the system, so if you are not prepared to spend some time tuning the upgraded system, stay with the current one as long as you receive security updates and it suits your needs. As for performance increase, don't expect orders of magnitude increase, it'll be more on the level of single percents. Generally there can even be a performance drop on a well tuned system, especially once you change the kernel.

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