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      <name>Linux Mint</name>
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  <title>Choosing an update policy</title>

  <p>New updates patch known security holes and fix known bugs, but they can also introduce new issues called 'regressions'.</p>

  <p>Regressions are very common but they are usually quickly fixed by new updates and they rarely break critical parts of the operating system.</p>

  <p>There are different types of updates:</p>

  <list>
    <item><p>'Software updates' are updates which fix bugs (or also sometimes which bring new features).</p></item>
    <item><p>'Security updates' are updates which patch vulnerabilities.</p></item>
    <item><p>'Kernel updates' represent the installation of a newer kernel.</p></item>
  </list>

  <note><p>In Linux Mint, kernel updates bring both security patches and bug fixes (and sometimes even new features), and they impact critical parts of the operating system. This makes kernel updates important from a security point of view, but also prone to regressions which can be hard to fix for novice users.</p></note>

  <p>The more updates you take, the more likely something will break. It might be something small, something you don't use and it might get fixed with tomorrow's updates. But what if you can't reboot? what if it breaks your drivers and you can no longer log in or connect to the Internet?</p>

  <p>On the the hand, if you don't update anything, you're missing bug fixes, improvements and more importantly patches for security holes.</p>

  <p>When choosing an update policy, ask yourself the following questions:</p>

    <list>
      <item><p>Do you need a particular software or kernel update? Are you waiting for a particular bug fix or for some hardware device to be recognized by a newer kernel?</p></item>
      <item><p>If things go wrong, are you experienced enough to fix your computer? Do you know how to fix boot, login, kernel and module issues?</p></item>
      <item><p>Can your computer be accessed by malicious people? Are there other local users on this computer or on the network? Do you run a server or anything people can connect to from the outside world?</p></item>
    </list>

  <p>Try to assess your level of experience with Linux, and your requirements when it comes to bug fixes and security.</p>

  <note><p>When you choose an update policy, some of the preferences are changed in the Update Manager. You can tune these preferences individually by clicking on the Edit-&gt;Preferences menu in the menubar.</p></note>

</page>
