i have Ubuntu version 13 on my system now i want to install ubuntu 14. the problem is that i installed GEDIT and Aptana studio and some other software from ubuntu and installed on my device. the question is that should i have to download them again????
2 Answers
If I understand correctly your main concern is if the programs you installed will be available on your system after the upgrade.
The answer is simple: yes (as long as you installed them in the standard Ubuntu way, through Ubuntu software Center or synaptic or apt-get install..).
That doesn't mean backing up your data is not necessary anyway :-)
I would just do:
$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install update-manager-core
$ sudo do-release-upgrade
The other option is to download the latest Ubuntu iso, create a LiveUSB from it (or LiveCD if you prefer) and choose the upgrade option. This is a slightly longer process, but doing the same thing.
For both options, all your data / settings / software will remain on disk. Even though backups are always advised, you won't lose anything in this process.
You can also back up your data (/home), do a fresh install, put your data back and reinstall the software that you have now. A lot of people think this is the cleaner option, but it requires more work... and I still have to be convinced this actually better :)
The days where upgrades failed are long gone. When new versions come out, distribution upgrades are thoroughly tested.
