2009/1/19 Gerald Pfeifer gp@novell.com:
On Fri, 16 Jan 2009, Rob OpenSuSE wrote:
Perhaps it's useful to think of 3 pillars of user base :
1 - distributing and stabilising, upstream software, developing inhouse projectsAgreed.
2 - stabilisation and development towards SLE (including ISV projects)SLE and ISV projects don't sound very much like a key focus we ought to have here in the openSUSE context. I suggest to really focus on openSUSE.
The project does have to be useful to it's main sponsors, to disregard their interests is self defeating.
Without that, why does openSUSE putt changes into the release that are known to break things in short/medium term? Stuff like PulseAudio breaking Flash & Skype, and enabling pata_* experimental libata IDE drivers cause things to break on installs, but some long term benefit is expected. Without widening the user base, progress would be slower.
However category 2 is described, the point is there's some conflict with 3, the "Just Works" trying Linux out, who are mainly Desktop users.
Whilst I know those quick categories are imperfect, and imprecise, there are aims that draw the poject in different directions. Being General Purpose is a strength, as expressed well:
2009/1/19 Henne Vogelsang hvogel@opensuse.org:
I really don't think that this is a problem at all. The contrary is true imho. This is what separates us from most of the other distros out there. You can _seriously_ use the distro on the desktop, the server, the laptop and use it for all kinds of use-cases without hacking around too much.
But 3 is IMO let down at present, by releasing prematurely, and long term benefit decisions with short term costs
I'll claim that a large part of the problem is testing too late focus on fixing things too late in the cycle.
How can that be changed?
To me I'd like to be able to really use daily something in permanent beta mode. Downloading a test release, then installing, but not doing the main daily stuff on that box, tends to reduce what I can realistically use, to the things that are quick to set up and test.