usability: fedora's killer app? Clean-Install Assistant...

[Morgan Read]

What's the worst thing about operating systems and progress?

Clean-install/Re-install/Upgrade

And, fedora has both: allot of OS and allot of progress

While reading over the usability discussion on the devel list, I noticed
someone's comment on the frantic release cycle - which is great, I want the
latest and greatest.  But, the clean install every 6mths or less has got the be
the biggest pita for fedora.

This is of course true with all OSs, only fedora clicks over three times the
speed of anything else.  Three times the pita.  And we all want a clean-install
cf. upgrade because we all want to make use of the latest and greatest fedora
has to offer (never mind the questions of whether an upgrade ever actually works
- on any OS).

Many years ago I installed all the interactions between MacOS 7.1 and 8.1, and
then some.  The greatest thing I ever found was this:
http://www.marcmoini.com/C-IAssistant.html

It's called Clean-Install Assistant.  A wizard that steps you through the
process of saving your custom config (by comparing the system against a database
of non-custom system) installing a clean system and then re-installing the
custom config.

Of course fedora is somewhat more sophisticated than MacOS 8.1, but the
principle's the same.  Basically, what I have to do at least every 6mths is:
- List my packages
- List all changes to /home/me/
- List all changes to /etc/
- back up /home/me/ and /etc/
- Clean install
- List my new packages and yum the diff
- Go through my lists of /home/me/ and /etc/ and move-reconfig from the backups
- Then muck around for the next month or so fine tuning all the stuff that I
don't know about and never will that naturally gets customised through use
- By which time it's time to go through the whole process again! (not quite:)

So, what a blessing it would be to have a wizard that by a few clicks of a mouse
stepped you effortlessly and comprehensively through that pita I've just listed
above.

I know, my Mac heritage is showing:)  But, the principle is a valid one and what
a relief it would be.

M.
-- 
Morgan Read
NEW ZEALAND
<mailto:mstuffATreadDOTorgDOTnz>

fedora: Freedom Forever!
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Overview

"By choosing not to ship any proprietary or binary drivers, Fedora does differ
from other distributions. ..."
Quote: Max Spevik
       http://interviews.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/17/177220

-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: signature.asc
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 251 bytes
Desc: OpenPGP digital signature
URL: <http://listman.redhat.com/archives/fedora-desktop-list/attachments/20060831/4ccf42f3/attachment.sig>