VDQ : FC1 > FC2 ??

[Ralf Corsepius]

On Thu, 2004-08-19 at 21:50, Beartooth wrote:
> On Thu, 19 Aug 2004 19:51:29 +0200, Ralf Corsepius wrote:
> 
> > safest: Reinstallation.
> > easiest: apt-get
> > foolproof: yum
> > 
> >>  Can I use yum somehow? ("yum upgrade" on a test machine
> >> did nothing recently. Change yum.conf, maybe??)
> 
> > Probably.
> 
> >>  Can I upgrade,
> 
> > It depends. In comparison to RH9->FC1 updates, which in my experience
> > were pretty painless, FC1->FC2 updates tend to break in many details,
> > due to many "uncooked features", "hidden bugs". 
> 
> Urk. I needed an embarrassing amount of help when FC1 was still newish;

Well, upgrading RHL/FC has always required more experience and
"handcrafting" than that required by other distributions ;-)

However, the amount of problems, I was facing after upgrading to FC2
exceeded the amount of problems, I was used to face when upgrading
previous versions of RHL/FC.

> > Well, ... frankly speaking, (I'm sure somebody will object and flame),
> > FC2 isn't for the fainthearted. IMO, though it meanwhile has matured
> > since its initial release, installing and using it partially is still a
> > rough ride with several corners and edges :-)
> 
> That much, from anyone who obviously knows a lot more than I, is a very
> serious warning. Guess I better go learn about the legacy project --
> well-night automated updating, especially of security issues, has always
> been a sine qua non for my use of linux. I don't know enough to do
> otherwise ....

I don't want to discourage you or anybody else, FC2+updates is "pretty
stable" (when it finally works), updating is doable, but the road
leading there is "somewhat bumpy". How "bumpy" is hard to estimate and
depends on various factors.

ATM, I would have to lie to recommend to get started with Linux with FC2
to beginners. They probably are better off choosing a different
distribution.

However, I can recommend FC2 to professional sysadmins, to advanced
Linux/*nix users, to developers, to those who aren't scared about going
after problems, if something doesn't immediately work and to those who
want to "play and learn" with a Linux-system.

As I see it: RH had promised FC to be closer to the bleeding edge, now
we (the users) are facing the consequences. Admitted, RH could have done
better, but I also don't see much reason to bash them, because they
could have done much worse.

It's up to you to decide if this is acceptable to you - To me, it is!

Ralf