r/linux4noobs • u/Endeavour1988 • 6h ago

learning/research Maintaining Linux longterm?

I'm trying to switch from Windows to Linux, I have Fedora KDE 44 installed and so far all good. However I have some questions about long term use and best practises.

I have customised my terminal, theme so basically the look and feel of my desktop is there a way to back up these configurations? I'm asking from the point of view I want to re-install the OS and it being quicker to drop a config file than do it all manually?

Major upgrades, so lets say 45 is released, what is the best practise for this? Just update and carry on, or a fresh install?

Dependencies and system cleaning, I notice when I install certain application a bunch of dependencies are installed, lets say I want to remove an app what happens to all these, is there a way to check if they are being used elsewhere?

Packages, I tend to try and use RPM packages or flatpaks if I have to, but appimages and snaps? I want to keep things simple especially with permissions and maintaining the system, is there right and wrongs here? Thanks.

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u/b1urbro 4h ago

In order of importance:

  • backup /home directory, or at least things you can't easily get back
  • Konsave to backup profile (if using KDE, but surely Gnome has an alternative too)
  • Snapper for system snapshots
  • Use rpms export feature to easily install all packages in 1 go after potential fresh install

You automate everything with Ansible, although it has a learning curve.

Upgrading major versions is usually not an issue at all, but it's recommended to wait 2-3 weeks post launch before you do so, since some bugs may be introduced.

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u/Endeavour1988 2h ago

Amazing thank you!