fc6 nearing eol but f7 not useable yet (rant or feedback?)

[Karl Larsen]

Mike Wright wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Rant or feedback?  You decide.  This is all IMHO.
>
> I'm becoming concerned about the end of life for fc6.  It has been
> stable for me and is the first of the fedoras that gave me a
> more-or-less useable multimedia experience.  (vlc is awesome!)  I'd like
> to continue using fc6 but am guessing I need to create my own repository
> before fc6 disappears from the public repos.
>
> The reason I'm so concerned is f7 blows chunks.  I've been running RH
> and its ilk since 5.2 (never got 4 running because I couldn't afford a
> Matrox video adapter way back then) and have to say this release is
> buggier than my vegetable garden.
>
> I'll start by logging into a Gnome session.
>
> First mess is the "Package Updater".  1) That's not the !@#$%ing
> program's name.  Its toolbar icon has no properties associated with it
> so I can't even tell what it launches.  The app itself has no "About"
> button.  In fact, one must perform command line forensics to even find
> out that the program's name is "pup".  (I prefer the spanish
> pronunciation.)  Why, oh why, is every package preselected?  Why is the
> "update list" window not resizeable?  Absolutely one of the worst user
> interfaces I have ever used.  Actually, it's hard to call it a UI since
> there is no interaction allowed except "click the mouse several hundred
> times", quit, or apply, and it provides no user feedback except when it
> barfs on itself.  Is it hanging?  Is it running?  Is it stalled?
> Absolutely no way to tell.  Oh, a dependency issue.  Option of ignore or
> continue?  No way, those choices are not available.  Error out.
>
> Second, where did the Applications->Run Program option go?
>
> Third, why does the bottom toolbar show up about two inches below the
> top one?  Right clicking on its far left edge gives me some options:
> click "expand" twice and it returns to its position at the bottom.
>
> Why are the toolbar widgets now locked to the toolbar?  What, don't like
> us rearranging things according to our own tastes?  OK fine, just right
> click, Unlock.  Right click, Move.  Swell.  I get the plus sign shaped
> move cursor but it doesn't work!  I can't rearrange the toolbars.
>
> Well, maybe it's got its panties in a bunch.  I'll just logout and try
> again.   Oh my!  Isn't this sweet.  Where are the toolbars?  Why doesn't
> right click do anything?  Fortunately,  I shortcut keyed an xterm.
> Enter the shortcut key combo and I get an xterm window with borders and
> no prompt, no cursor, zippadeedoodah!
>
> OK.  Ctrl-Alt-F1 gives me a mingetty.  "useradd nextvictim; passwd
> nextvictim; init 3; init 5".  Login as nextvictim and logout.  Login
> again as nextvictim and ecco!  Where are the toolbars?  Desktop void of
> everything except the background image, no right click response, just
> another dead session.
>
> As a side note, this box has been around for a while and has lots of
> distros scattered throughout its drives, and all of them are rock solid
> so this definitely points to f7 and not the hardware.
>
> Q: if it's really to be known as f7 why are the kernels named
> "something.fc7"?  I think the decision to change the naming scheme
> wasn't wise.  Google on f7 and you'll get lots of hits on the function
> key but very little on fedora.
>
> Q: why was it decided to put marketing names on the applications and
> remove their properties?  How are we supposed to help debug, etc, if the
> program identities are hidden from us?  This decision forces users back
> into CLI mode.  Kind of defeats the whole GUI approach, doesn't it?
>
> Apologies to all who have put in so much hard work but this release
> looks like it was done by speed freaks with a mouse compulsion who love
> python, not because it's polymorphic, but because they don't have to pay
> attention to types, and since they don't have to pay attention to types
> then, what the hey, why pay attention to the differences between lists
> and dictionaries? (definitely a rant!)
>
> Enough for now.  I have to figure out why I have two different versions
> of dbus with mangled dependencies (which cause pup to bomb).  I'll also
> take a look at KDE to see if I have better luck there.
>
> I would be curious to hear from early adopters what their f(c)8
> experiences have been like.
>
> Thanks for listening to my $0.02,
> Mike Wright :m)
>
    Hi Mike, if you want to stay with your known problems then do so. I 
am not so sure the lack of updates will matter. You have a FC6 you put 
together and know! It should run for years, until your hard drive quits.

    I went from FC4 for about 4 years to F7 that was new and had many 
bugs and then went to FC6 and later back to F7 where I am now. I plan to 
upgrade to F8 when it comes available next month. This time I expect it 
will be bad but get good as the updates come. I hope I can get nvidia to 
work :-)



-- 

	Karl F. Larsen, AKA K5DI
	Linux User
	#450462   http://counter.li.org.