[tlug] Versions -- The Next Stupid Question

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <stephen@example.com>]

CL writes:

 > If I backup the installation on my 32-bit (P4) box and restore it to my 
 > 64-bit box, have I destroyed the features of 64-bit Kubuntu?

You are *really* asking for trouble, here.  You do not own your box
anymore; Kubuntu does.  Oh, you can have your space in /usr/local or
/opt, but Kubuntu will not help you manage it.  The parts Kubuntu is
managing you should avoid touching, except for a few things in /etc,
and those only if you know what you're doing (and that means "in
Kubuntu", not "as a Unix admin").

In particular, if Ubuntu handles archs the way Debian does, the
package manager "knows" that you want 64-bit packages, and will
probably get quite unhappy about (or perhaps simply ignore) your
32-bit ones that get copied over.  In the latter case you could find
yourself pulling in parts of the 64-bit installation as dependencies
which will overwrite some but not all of the 32-bit libraries,
instantaneously breaking the 32-bit apps.

 > Or is the answer to start from scratch and do everything as a fresh 
 > install and transfer the work files only?

Yes.