How do folks prepare to upgrade to new versions of the same Linux distro? How do you keep track of installed apps and their settings?
I realize that old versions of apps may not successfully carry forward compatibly. We all hope that newer versions of those apps will be available and will work well.
Is there an inventory checker to report on apps which aren't in the official Zorin distro? Is a text file where we have to remember to note our actions the 'best practice' ?
Where would apps on Linux commonly store their settings? (I'm used to on Windows some old apps using .cfg or .ini files. Some use the Registry, and that's tougher to migrate to another machine, too.) In work environments some apps settings get stuffed into local/roaming profiles. Is the Linux equivalent of that the folder /home? Can that be successfully preserved and restored?
Do most folks create separate partitions on disk which don't get touched by the upgrade process? How would you tell your apps to look over there?
Sorry if this is all commonly well known stuff. If you know of other write ups about this please point me to them.
Thanks,
Richard