There is a setting called unsupported updates vivid-backports in the update-manager. What exactly does this setting and is it recommended? (The linked question doesn't answer my question.)
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How do you find it now?– RonAug 27, 2015 at 9:36
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I guess it makes no sense if I already use the 15.04 release then?– empedoklesAug 27, 2015 at 10:12
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Right,absolutely.– RonAug 28, 2015 at 11:07
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1 Answer
The following is adapted from UbuntuBackports:
What are backports?
Backports is feature that offers a way to provide newer versions of software for older Ubuntu releases. generally, there backports or "new versions of standalone applications" can be safely updated without breaking the rest of the system. Although this is the 'common' case, few points should be noted:
Backports do not come with any security support guarantee and Ubuntu Security Team does not update packages in Backports.
There may be some unwanted interactions between backported software and other software installed in your system that are overlooked while backporting.
Backported software may sometimes behave in unfamiliar ways, and may be incompatible with configuration format etc.
Is it recommended?
For the above reasons, it is recommended to configure the package manager to only install backported packages when they are explicitly requested, which is the default for all Ubuntu releases after and including Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal). That means even though the Ubuntu Backports repository is now enabled by default, to enable users to more easily receive new versions of software, the packages from backports will not be installed by default.
If Backports are configured for manual install (which is the default configuration in 11.04+), you can append /trusty-backports(or your release) to the package you want to install. For example, to install a single package, run:
apt-get install amarok/trusty-backports
Once installed, packages from backports will automatically be upgraded to newer versions.
