Software updates in the Linux world are typically released for one of the three purposes. New versions of packages are released to fix bugs, patch security vulnerabilities, or add new features. By now, you've most likely come across Mint's Update Manager if you were at any point prompted to update your system (which typically first happens right after installation finishes). Keeping your system up to date is strongly recommended. However, it's not out of the realm of possibility that a theoretical bad update could crash your system. This rarely happens, but it's always a good idea to keep current backups just in case, especially when administering your system.

In Linux Mint, there are two ways to update your system. You can use a subcommand of apt-get (which we'll get into shortly), but Mint also provides a graphical utility simply known as Update Manager that will also accomplish your needs. Whichever method you use is up to you, but Mint's Update Manager is...