What does it mean when they say Feren OS is a rolling distribution?

[Della]

I am a noob linux user, on Feren OS. This is how my update script looks like (which runs as an anacron job with root privilege once in a while, and all other automatic updates from the GUI are turned off).

apt-get --assume-yes --fix-missing update
apt-get --assume-yes upgrade
apt-get --assume-yes --fix-broken install
apt-get --assume-yes dist-upgrade
apt-get --assume-yes full-upgrade
apt-get --assume-yes autoremove --purge
apt-get --assume-yes clean

So my questions are

• Does this script have all the components that would be present in updating via the GUI update manager?
• Will this update roll forever without me having to reinstall any distribution, just like Manjaro? When I installed Feren OS from ISO, the OS had a codename Gallium, but now the codename reads Hassium. Which exact line of the above script is responsible for the Gallium to Hassium upgrade?
• Even when Ubuntu releases its new 22.04, then I assume there will be newer Feren OS ISOs based on that? Will my script upgrade to those versions (with associated upgrades of kernel, window manager etc.), keeping all other applications intact, without me having to install from the ISO?
• Finally, I am not using the GUI update manager because I feel updating via the above script gives me somewhat finer control over the procedure, but is there anything in the above script that would compromise the security and stability of the system?

 

[dos2unix]

I don't use Feren, and I'm not really familiar with it, but...
A rolling release means software versions, kernel versions, and even distro release versions can
change continuously. Usually you never have to re-install from scratch. I have been doing this
for about 7 years now. Usually this is fairly stable, but back-ups are always recommended.

Stable release versions, generally keep the same major software versions, kernel versions and release version.
But still have periodic bug fixes, patches, and security fixes on the same 'major versions' of software.

 

[NorthWest]

Delia wrote:

apt-get --assume-yes autoremove --purge

I prefer to inspect what is proposed to be removed by the software. I've been bitten by that sort of command in the past where too much disappeared. There are some legion stories of that online. Fortunately the dpkg.log was available, but it was a nuisance reinstalling what had been removed but which I still needed. These days I use the simulate option -s of apt-get to check what's proposed to happen. The man page actually points out:

APT may decide to do something you did not expect.

It took my experience to understand the meaning of that and get my attention. YMMV.

 

[kc1di]

Here is a good overview of the difference between rolling and static release cycles.

Linux Distribution Basics: Rolling Releases vs. Standard Releases

Linux distributions tend to use two different types of release cycles: standard releases and rolling releases. Some people swear by rolling releases to have the latest software, while others like standard releases for being more stable and tested.

www.howtogeek.com

That being said. What @NorthWest pointed out is important

apt-get --assume-yes autoremove --purge

I would not include this line in your script. Would do that manually or only run it very occasionally.
good Luck
And Welcome to Linux

 

[forester]

Hello. Welcome!
Beware --purge!
FYI: Difference Between apt and apt-get Explained

Tell us what pros and cons have been encountered, so far, in using ferenOS, if you would, please. Why was it chosen by you over the very similar ZorinOS?

 

[Deleted member 108694]

Feren OS is based on Ubuntu 20.04 - from their SourceForge website - https://sourceforge.net/projects/ferenoslinux/ - Feren OS is a free and open-source operating system with a pseudo-rolling-release nature. In other words it is not a true "Rolling Release" but kind of acts like one - the key word being pseudo
1)apt-get may be considered as lower-level and "back-end", and support other APT-based tools.
2)apt is designed for end-users (human) and its output may be changed between versions.
Ubuntu recommends using apt over apt-get - So, when we run the sudo apt update command, it will display additional pieces of information about the repository and packages, like how many packages are ready for an update. Whereas apt-get does not

Personally (JMHO) I would modify the script to read: -

apt --fix-missing update -y
apt upgrade -y
apt --fix-broken install -y
and so on

And remove this one completely apt-get --assume-yes autoremove --purge
as stated by @NorthWest

 

[KGIII]

Pfft... I've used this for *years and years*. From "cat ~/.bash_aliases we have:

alias update="sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y && sudo apt autoremove -y && sudo apt clean -y"

I should probably change that to 'full-upgrade'.

Anyhow, you should follow the advice from @NorthWest, 'cause I'm an experienced user that's willing to take the chance. It has, so far, not bit me in the butt - with years and years of use. I type 'update' into the terminal at least once a day, and sometimes more often.

 

[Della]

Hello. Welcome!
Beware --purge!
FYI: Difference Between apt and apt-get Explained

Tell us what pros and cons have been encountered, so far, in using ferenOS, if you would, please. Why was it chosen by you over the very similar ZorinOS?

Thanks a lot for your advice.

Actually, I was a Mint user for sometime before Feren. As I got a new laptop from my company, I just wanted a change of scenery and was recommended Feren by a colleague. I did not come to Feren looking for anything particular, most of my user experience is the same as in Mint, and I run the same applications. Just a few things from Mint that I would love to have in Feren

• A custom lock screen message
• A more dedicated user forum like https://forums.linuxmint.com/ KDE has a community forum, which seems all but dead, nobody really posts. Ironically, I thought KDE distros together form a much bigger community actually.
• Minor, but some keystrokes are in my muscle memory by virtue of using Mint, which need a bit of reconfiguration to use in Feren. For example, in Feren Konsole, the EOF character is triggered by Ctrl+Shift+D which is quite a big deviation from the standard Ctrl+D.

But sorry, before your posts, I never really heard of Zorin OS, so cannot really compare. Also, picking Feren was not a very informed decision, just picked it before I heard a few good things about it. Maybe I can try if and when I have to do a reinstall or get another system. (A lot of my applications require long setups, so I don't want to repeat the process unless necessary.)

 

[forester]

@Della -- thanks for comments on ferenOS. In my estimation, there's not a whole lot of difference between ferenOS and Zorin (but I never paid to ge the full-featured version of it, so I cannot say for sure). No biggie you haven't tried it. I was under the same impression regarding the time taken for ferenOS to upgrade and install packages -- a little slow, making the process longer than my "normal." Both distros are like transitional, windows to linux.
When you are ready for a change to another distro with great community support, try PCLinuxOS, as a suggestion.