I’m almost ashamed to admit it, but in spite of seeding every version of Intrepid I can lay my hands on, I have yet to install it. Not even an upgrade. I never tried it in the beta, which I usually do. Or the RC, which is usually when I start tweaking the guide for release.

Part of the reason was my preoccupation with that Ubuntu GTK1.2 Remix, which in turn precipitated a need to go back to Crux for a little while. I grew quite attached to the incredibly speedy Openbox setup, and as a result I wasn’t really keen on blanking it.

But I’m doing that now, and I’m starting out cold, days after the furor, and I’m going to try my best to chronicle each step. The idea here, of course, is to give 8.10 in its various forms a fair shake (which is impossible, since I’m prejudiced), and maybe document any difficulties I might encounter.

First on the agenda is a clean upgrade from 8.04, which should go over quite well. Clean upgrades are easy; it’s the ones that overwrite long-standing systems that go all pear-shaped and end up as tearful cries for help on the forums. So here goes. Report back in an hour.