why not just use xmarks?....................

Under the manage tab or somewhere, you export as HTML. Then you import as
HTML in the new version. (Then you do the hokey pokey.... :)

I know there are instructions on mozilla's site somewhere, but it should be
pretty straight forward. Definitely doable as I did it when I upgraded
Firefox manually.

The bad news is that you have to wait 4 months for 12.04 to come out.

I have used 12.04. It is in alpha version now. But is better then any alpha
version I have ever saw or used.
Haven't crash yet. Runs most software I need. Have you try it?

I used to use google toolbar and then i didn't have to back up bookmarks as
they were saved online with gmail. A better method i think now is just to
save as html as a monthly backup and one can then import that into which
ever browser one uses/or changes to - i now use chrome which is much
faster than FF.

Actually you cannot generlise. Some versions of Chrome may be faster and
vice versa. In independent tests recent versions of FF are faster, but it
is a quickly changing situation with a nrw version of FF out each month and
Chrome changing almost as fast.

As for bookmarks, if it is an older version of FF then it is already an
html file (bookmarks.html). More recent versions use a database and you
must import the bookmarks. As long as you have your bookmarks.html file
then you are okay. The trick is to locate it in its hidden folder and to
store it in a safe place until it is time to upgrade and then to import it
into the new version of FF.

As already mentioned an alternative is to use a web service such as Xmarks
to sync your bookmarks across computers.

I've been backing up my bookmarks but didn't notice the .HTML option. Sounds
like this is a Universal BU/Restore system. Should do the job.

As for waiting for April, not a problem. I've been putting this off so a little
longer won't hurt. That being said, IF I were to want to start early, what would
be the logical version to install that would be upgradeable to 12.04?

Not really any option to do that currently. 12.04 is in Alpha with
daily builds that will add/remove/break/fix things as the final code
is worked out. Only the 12.04 release candidate will be upgradable to
the full version and that's not expected for a while.

You can try the Alpha builds and then the Beta ones are they are
released but each one would need a clean install and certainly not
recommended for anything other than 'getting the flavour' of 12.04
with the understanding that you'll be needing to start all over when
the final version is released.

I've been playing with the 12.04 Alpha myself and whilst it's pretty
good for an Alpha version it's still got a lot of raw edges, mainly
around the installer itself. Try if by all means, but be aware it's
got a long way to go yet :-)

K> IF I were to want to start early, what would be the logical version
K> to install that would be upgradeable to 12.04?

From time to time I get a request to enter a password for Keyring. Don't have
that password. Didn't set anything up for Keyring(s). Took a look at Help files
but didn't find any useful information. What's up with this Keyring thing?

K> Sooooo, going from 10.04 to 12.04 is not an option?

Yes and No. In theory you should be able to upgrade from one LTS
version to the next in one step. The problems arise when the user has
installed programs and tweaks over the years that don't upgrade well,
or the enormous changes that the new version makes. 12.04 is a very
different OS to 10.04 even though it's still Ubuntu !!

Nothing to stop you trying a direct upgrade when 12.04LTS is out but
don't be too surprised if it all goes down the pan and you end up with
a bricked OS that needs a clean install :-(

I know I'll not be upgrading to 12.04 - it'll be a clean start even if
it does mean a lot of effort, overall it's worth it to have the best
chance of a trouble free next 5 years

Even if you had successful upgrades in the past,
chances are slim with 12.04 because almost everything has changed since
10.04, including the boot process, window manager, desktop environment and
many of the services that run behind the scenes.

It is worth a try, but backup and don't count on it too much. That being
said, the folks at Canonical believe in upgrades and work hard to ensure
they work for most users. The profile of a typical LTS user works in your
favour as they tend to stick more with OTB setups and run low risk
environments with few changes. The ones who tend to have problems are those
who customise and use outside sources.