Upgrade or reinstall?

[Jeremy_Ray]

Normally this would be an easy question, however an update broke an obscure program I use (pystromo) which is no longer being maintained. Without pystromo I can't reassign the keys on my gaming keypad. The gaming keypad makes GIMP much easier to live with. So it appears my choice is either to a) reinstall 12.04 and not allow any software updates b) somehow figure out what broke psytromo and regress it (I'm guessing a Python update but I have no idea really) or c) install 16_04 and forget about using my gaming keypad again.

Also, an update today broke my sound. I have no sound at all.

I'm sure continuing to use 12.04 is a less than ideal solution, but are there any good solutions?

[Snowhog]

In normal everyday user cases, sticking with what was a user customized and fully functional Kubuntu, even if it is 'old' and/or EOL'd (End-of-Life'd), isn't a deal breaker. IF everything worked, you can continue to use it until things that are crucial to you stop working. Security risks to a home user who connects to the Internet via an ISP account, as opposed to running their own POP (Point-of-Presence), are really very slight. So, in your case, reinstalling the 'latest' Kubuntu 12.04 (12.04.5 LTS) and all your customized applications is likely what you want to do. The bugger, if there is going to be one, is whether your custom (non-ubuntu supported repositories) applications are still available.

Just saying.

[GreyGeek]

Kubuntu 12.04 has its EOL in April of 2017. Will pystromo break 14.04 LTS? If not, I'd go with it till its EOL in April of 2019).

One problem you have is that after the EOL there are NO MORE maintenance OR security updates released. The longer you run a system with possible security holes the more likely you will get owned. Thugs love to pwn Linux systems because they use them for command and control systems to ride herd on a few thousand Windows slaves in a BOT farm, from which they do all their damage. Also, pervs use pwned machines as intermediate storage points for porn of all types, including child porn. If police trace such graphics to your IP address you will have a hard time convincing them YOU didn't download that crap. Most police computer "experts" are far from it but they represent themselves in courts of law as computer experts because they took one or two week forensic courses to learn how to run a commercial program that analyzes HDs that have been scrubbed or destroyed. Those clowns behind badges have cost people their jobs, their homes, their spouses and the lives. You don't want to be one of the victims.

Are there other programs that can use to assign keys on your gaming keypad? Or, have someone write?

[Jeremy_Ray]

Well, certainly getting hacked is not something I'm interested in. I'd love to be without the internet entirely but I'm not sure how I'd pull that off these days.

Last I heard there was no alternative to pystromo.

I'll install 16.04 tomorrow.

Thanks to everyone for their help.

[acheron]

Presumably it is something like this bug that you are likely to get?

https://bugs.launchpad.net/pystromo/+bug/1482746

[Jeremy_Ray]

Presumably it is something like this bug that you are likely to get?

https://bugs.launchpad.net/pystromo/+bug/1482746

That looks like my very own bug report.

[acheron]

That looks like my very own bug report.

Whoops. Should have noticed that!

[Jeremy_Ray]

Whoops. Should have noticed that!

I'll be thrilled if you come up with a fix.