Feature changed by: Ricardo Gabriel Berlasso (RGBsuse) Feature #308936, revision 2 Title: Install defaults to Allow_Kernel_Updates=NO openSUSE-11.3: Unconfirmed Priority Requester: Important Requested by: Wilson Phillips (wilson_phillips) Partner organization: openSUSE.org Description: Make the install default with kernel updates off. Create a config file with a flag that can be turned on or off, that must be edited. Inside the file could be all the information needed for a newbie to do his/her own kernel update without hosing thier system. Instructions, links to forums, links to video card drivers, etc. Advanced users could easily edit the file and turn on kernel updates after the install, but new users would not be blind-sided with a kernel update that leaves them in panic mode staring at the command prompt login, and wondering why they had a desktop one minute and a reboot leaves their system broken. If a new user needs a kernel update, they can do a little research and find how to edit the file, by the time they do it, they should have all the information they need to make an informed decision and be prepared with the tools they need to bring their system back online properly. Business case (Partner benefit): openSUSE.org: We have lost too many new openSUSE users over the years because they did their updates and did not know that a kernel update would break their modules. Nothing causes more panic for a newbie than a reboot that leaves them stuck at the command line interface and wondering why their system is broken. Too many just do a format and reinstall of Windows and the last we hear of them is when they post on the forums that SUSE sucks. For us old techs, this is a small problem and we know how to fix it, but for the newbie, this is a deal breaker. We must change our way of looking at these small problems and how they affect the new inexperienced users. We can not overlook these issues. We have to make them a priority. How many new users could we keep, if they never had this problem? Food for thought. + Discussion: + #1: Ricardo Gabriel Berlasso (rgbsuse) (2010-02-03 14:23:53) + Considering that openSUSE kernel updates are only for security patches, + I think this is a bad idea. A proper solution to the real problem + exposed here must come from other sites: the "fall-back driver" idea + expressed on #308935 (308935) is one possibility, but getting the open + source drivers on good shape is even better: most users do not need the + full power of nvidia or ATI proprietary drivers, so making noveau and + co. drivers ready will be the right solution for most, if not all, + problems generated after kernel updates. -- openSUSE Feature: https://features.opensuse.org/308936