Discussion about release cycle (comments)

[ruel24]

I've already suggested it, but I just think a once a year full release, with a rolling release all year long, coupled with an updated ISO in the 6 month interim is the very best solution. Keep us up to date all year long, but once a year, establish a completely new release to go off of to avoid the hassles some rolling releases run into trying to keep everything compatible with older binaries. The updated ISO would give installers on newer hardware support for the newer hardware, sooner, without having to pull off some workaround to get it working because it would contain a newer kernel.

[Garthhh]

Where are we with the release cycle?

No hurry
I'm just wondering if there has been any progress

[doktor5000]

Check: http://blog.mageia.org/en/2011/07/17/ma ... -planning/

[Garthhh]

Thanks Dok,

the release schedule is
9 months, support for 18
if all is going well
an LTS
18 months support for 36 months

[dwhite]

I like to see the update ball go red. The look and feel of a distribution need not change. I moved to mageia because I for one didn't like Mandriva 2011. Mandriva was beginning to become bloat-ware. The first mandrake 7.2 I bought was two install CD's and stayed that way for years. So 1500MB limit on the size of the distro in my opinion would not be bad the coders then be challenged make a slick fast elegant distro then. Linux has always been updated little and often.

[dwhite]

Business users want the GUI to stay the same for many years if a company does a major version upgrade productivity suffers greatly, incremental upgrades do little to slow productivity. Hobbyists want a fast upgrade and release cycle though.

[madeye]

I would definitely go with a 1 year release cycle. Or even a LTS. Having to install only once a year or once every 3 years would be preferable to every half year.
Having a stable desktop would ensure that I can use my time for more constructive things than bug hunting

EDIT: OK. That's what happens when you read a forum when you're tired. I think I'm a little out of date here.

[isadora]

Little refreshment doesn't hurt.

[andreano]

How about a slow-rolling release base system, plus "upstream" repositories of selected packages for the adventurous?

Less frequent updates than OpenSuse's Tumbleweed (especially of painful stuff like kernel), while still a rolling release, so you never need to reinstall. Buf for those wanting e.g. the newest kernel, there would be the "upstream kernel" repository.

How slow? 9 months, or whatever makes it stable.

[demilord]

Personally I'd go for a minimum for a 9 month release.. Having a longer feature freeze to mature the packages and system and squashing out the bugs..
I've been a longtime ubuntu user.. And one release was pretty stable.. The next one Horse Stable.. with a lot of glitches .. Personally.. In my honest opinion..

better solution.. But probably i will hit some legs with it
Release it when it is done and ready for production, not only you bring the best of your name.. users are having a rock solid system.. which increases users group.. and maybe sponsers will get interested and think damn this is how Mandriva have should have been...
IDK my 2 cents

[doktor5000]

Well, we have a release cycle of 9 months, and 18 months of support per release. Maybe you didn't get that the decision for this was taken long ago?

[demilord]

Well, we have a release cycle of 9 months, and 18 months of support per release. Maybe you didn't get that the decision for this was taken long ago?

Sorry my apoligise I am new here ... Sounds very good decision to me... Better then the 6 months cycle ubuntu uses...

[hn]

Greetings,

I'm just a new newbe in Linux and a newborn criature in what concerns MAGEIA. For what is worth let me tell some hightlights of my recent linux distros exploits -- once it might have some value to add to all these discussions about the number of cycles (i gathered: new versions FOB...). Good grief: even about where should the said discussions be ascribed to!...

Anyway here goes: as long, long Windows addict (started out with 3.11 version and went all the way onwards up Win_7
and that was the triggering experience to try and change course to Linux. I soon realized to my dismay some facts:
1. there is not one LINUX but rather several Linux species; 2 - Most of the apparently different distros were just minor
glued alterations of one major base source; 3 - Overall the general level of rigorous care lended to each "different" distro
perfomance was very low -- as well as the performance of many of the available "applications" -- most of which were pure examples of amatteurish wishful thinking from their navel enchanted programmers and little more; 4 - Many if not a large chunk of so-called distros claim to be most userfriendly and directed to newbees, although being full of idiossincracies such as asking for some undisclosed root password even for the installing proceedings (!!!); 5 - As a suckling newbe, i rounded my attempts in the Ubuntu-debian vicinity untill 12.04- Unity appeared and made me shift attentions elsewhere; 6 - Mageia 3.01 Alpha1 was my first selection and i must be clear out and say it was, at first, a glamourous experience i felt -- such as i expected no more from Linux. At first, let me underline, because soon the BUGS begun to attack my work. But love wins all and i persisted, continued my exploitations untill crashes declared -- stout resilient crashes, not just small accidents like "insert the media named 'core media' "...Crashes like the software sources selector freezing and not give up, after whatever manouever, if not shutting black-down the rigg...
So enraged i was i decided to forget about Mageia and thus i did for a while, but then i thought back:«if they are launching a new version, even in alpha 1 phase, perhaps Mageia 2 is already near perfect and done» and so i downloded
it installed it, and up-to-now, am happy i did it. My passion returned: happy days are here again, as the song goes.
Please excuse me for the space i took and for my delusion(?) that it could add some substance to the said discussion,
Best regards,
HN

[wobo]

Well, be welcome in the Mageia world. Your post would best be placed in the "Welcome and introduce yourself" section, but never mind.

there is not one LINUX but rather several Linux species;.....

1. + 2.: Yes, this is the advantage of Open Source and free software. The code is not hidden and possessed by a single company. So you are not bound to use what the company serves, if you don't like it you can always roll your own distribution or just a single application. Of course some distributions/applications are better, some not. Unlike in the Windows world you are always free to improve both, the source code is free to be changed (see GPL)

6 - Mageia 3.01 Alpha1 was my first selection

As you can see from the expression "ALPHA" and also read on the website, the ALPHA is the first snapshot in the developing procedure for the coming release. It is only meant for tests and feedback to the developers, it is neither meant for productive work nor is it the best choice for an unexperienced user. ALPHA (same as the BETA stages) is bound to change each day and can work fine today but crash with the next update tomorrow.

It's nice to read that you found your "happy-day" distribution, get to know it and use this forum or mailing lists for your questions.

[zenfloater]

Mageia is a French based distro. As was Mandrake.
Before Linux came into being, I ran French software as a ham radio operator.
I ran the F6FBB BBS system on packet radio which was produced in France.
It was rock solid software in the days of the 80286 era. I ran it for years.
Also, make note that French wine is not beer. You do not bottle it every week or every month or every quarter. It is bottled when it is ready. It is consumed when it has aged.
I was also thinking the main reason I came here to use Mageia was because I hate the other Linux distributions which try and go by fixed release schedules because their work is rotten.
I like Slackware. I like NetBSD. I like those releases which don't follow a set schedule.
Creative genius and excellent work and excellent products are not done by a time table.
Mageia 6 will be released when Mageia 6 is fully ready and not one day before hand.
And every single release of Mageia should be treated the same way, do not release until it's perfect.

[doktor5000]

Kind words and an interesting attitude
But just for reference, the last reply in this thread was 4 years ago - nevertheless your comment is still greatly appreciated.