[clug] Upgrades - was pdflatex regressions?

[David Cottrill]

With the always exciting world of upgrades and dependencies forever on
the horizon I'm wondering if someone can expand on the most monolithic
work arounds and (hopefully) a better solution with the benefit of
20/20 hindsight.
For someone like me who is busy turning a hobby into a profession that
sort of knowledge is invaluble and at least a llittle amusing.
The two key things I've learned so far are: always have a notebook
handy that is somewhere between half and 3/4 full, and do (almost)
whatever it takes to give yourself an 'undo' button for every
situation.
Thanks,
David