[Mageia-dev] How will be the realese cycle?

[Fernando Parra]

On Sat, 16 Oct 2010 08:56:06 +0200
Luca Berra <bluca-1WC7Or56Oao at public.gmane.org> wrote:

> On Fri, Oct 15, 2010 at 10:00:14PM -0500, Fernando Parra wrote:
> >The basic/novice user doesn't read anything,
> remove basic/novice from the sentence and i will agree ;)
> 

Are you agree with some like that?
Only the geek/expert/professional users read?

> > doesn't request anything to some like a bugzilla,
> but give him a forum and he probably will

Here I'm not completely sure, How many forums, blogs, etc. about software are there (including Windows, Mac and others)? and How many users they have? At present time the number of pc's in the entire world are estimated in 1,500 millions, the number of users can be estimated without force the numbers as a twice of this number. Worst, we are in the Wikipedia age; in example, when I request an investigation to my students, about any theme. I need strictly keep out Wikipedia (Oh well, yes Encarta too) as a valid source.

> 
> > If you show on his screen some like your proposal, he usually take one of two different ways: 1) Check all the options or maybe worst 2) Close the window and he will think: "Oh hell, Why Linux is so hard?"
> then we shall abuse the user like most windows installers do, and
> install all sort of crap with preselected checkboxes?
> 
> >Anyway, after decide what packages will be in the Rolling Light
> was the model decided yet?
> 

As you may watch, this discussion is on the way.

> >The OS must be gentle with the user and show a Window with a Message like that:
> >
> >There are available a new version of Firefox(as an example). Do you want to install it?
> >NO,   Maybe Later,   Show me more information,    Yes
> popups like this are not gentle, they are annoying, users will try to
> get rid of them as soon as they can and go on with what they were doing.
> 

Ok, maybe is no quite gentle for some one, but it is the usually way, speaking about Windows users.

> >Please take in mind that we are trying to get a considerable number of new users. If we just keep doing things like today, we will certainly have new users, but they probably come from other distributions.
> 
> Seriuosly speaking, i'd like to make a distinguo:
> The real basic(*) user just uses a computer to get her work done, he
> does not give a damn about a new version of firefox, kde or wathever, as
> long as the version she is using is functioning.
> A popup stating about a new version will probably cause a call to her
> son, either before or after having got rid of it, depending on the
> moment.
> The problem with this kind of user is getting them to apply security
> updates.

Are you sure? I'll try to explain me with a practical example: I really don't remember what of the versions of the Open Office 3.x branch open the road to read and write the MS Office 2007 (docx, etc) but when its happen, it was "the great success" How many users really need this particular "goodie", I think a big share of them!

> 
> (*) i won't call them novice because they might have been using a
> computer for a good deal of time.
> 
> Another kind of user is amused by computers, he will read some
> semi-technical magazines, every leaflet from big electronic shop, some
> news site, he will buy a lot of gadgets, and will try to install new
> versions of everything, just to see how they work.
> This user is probably interested of seeing backports of firefox, gnome,
> kde, Ooo, and such.
> He will probably not bother with bugzilla (why the **** do i have to
> input all this crap, cant they just provide me with gizmo 1.99.2.3 like
> every windows user has?), but probably will do such a request on a forum
> like media.
> 
> we should not mix the needs of this two categories, neither would like
> it.

Ok, I call these users "intermediate users" and here in Mexico we have an idiomatic expression for these situations: "El qué quiera azul celeste, ¡que le cueste!" A poor translation of that is: If someone want something special, pays for get it!
> 
> btw, we also have users interested in backports of stuff like openldap,
> samba or such, these users will actually contribute to the technical
> making of the distro, either by using bugzilla when they find bugs or
> actually doing packaging work. Ignoring the will of such users will,
> sooner or later, force mageia to employ paid personnel to do packaging
> work.
> 
> L.
> 

I disagree here, a big share of the users are sick (including me) of an illness called "versionitis gravis". Good I'm sick!:) As I can see there are two variants of the illness:

Open Source Type, we are totally involved in each new release of our favourite distro, there is no matter how many times we make a promise of stay in the same release for at least one year, at the end of the road, we find a "valid" excuse for install and use the new version.

Privative Type: There is no matter if their favourite music player is going on, each time than appear a new version the users download and install it. In example, a lot of Open Source apps follow the same politics in a privative OS, at this time I remember: Firefox, Open Office, and Lazarus, but I really don't use Windows at this time. These apps shows in a Window a message announcing the new version, and of course they showing a link to download them.

This is in fact one of the big problems about malware contamination in Windows, indiscriminate downloading of programs enhanced by piracy practices of course.

> -- 
> Luca Berra -- bluca-1WC7Or56Oao at public.gmane.org
> 


-- 
Fernando Parra <gato2707 at yahoo.com.mx>