[Lel4_user] Update LEL4

[pertti.helander at pp.nic.fi]

Is it safe to update manually programs included in LEL4?
For example: Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird and OpenOffice.org included 
in LEL4.xxx
are quite old versions and there are available stable versions of each:
Firefox 1.5, Thunderbird 1.5 and OpenOffice.org 2.0.
How long time does it take when these versions are being updated by 
apt-get or Synaptic?
Should I wait for it or should I update manually these programs?
I think LEL4.xxx- updating by Synaptic is much easier for such a Linux- 
novice like me
but I hope updated packages for these important programs should become 
available by Synaptic as soon as they appear.
And if I understood right what I was told, when updated to Firefox and 
Thunderbird 1.5, these programs have automatic update option so they 
donŽt need to be updated anymore, they do it automatically!
 
P.S. What are the main differences between LEL3 and LEL4? They look 
similar to me.