kernel-devel in "Fedora" spin?

[Josh Boyer]

On Mon, Sep 15, 2008 at 08:58:09PM -0400, Chris Snook wrote:
> Jesse Keating wrote:
>> Back in December, I had made a change that blocked kernel-devel packages
>> from winding up in the install media for the Fedora spin.  I don't
>> recall getting any push back at the time, but I've gotten at least one
>> angry comment since then.  So I'm putting it out for more discussion.
>> Do we feel that the kernel-devel (5~megs) should be in the install
>> media?
>
> Yes please.  There's always new hardware we don't support yet, so some 
> people will need to build drivers just to get online and access the 
> repos.  If we ship it on the install media, it's much easier to 
> distribute code that you're reasonably confident will work on a new 
> install.  If people have to hunt down matching kernel and kernel-devel 
> rpms, it's a moving target for people working on these device drivers.
>
> I'm not saying we should bend over backwards for out-of-tree drivers, but 
> this is precisely the scenario that determines the first impression for 
> someone trying this "Linux" thing on their shiny new bleeding-edge box, 
> and it's pretty easy to accomodate.

Erm... if this is the first time someone is trying a shiny new "Linux" thing
on a bleeding edge box, and they have to grab a kernel-devel package and
build drivers _themselves_, then they are obviously smart enough  to run
'yum install kernel-devel'.  Somehow I think your example is slightly off.
I don't know many Linux newbies that know 1) that they need to build a
driver, 2) what driver to build, and 3) what packages they need to build it
all without knowing how to install anything.

<jedi>
These are not the people you are targeting.  They know enough to not require
kernel-devel on the install media.   You can move on to finding some other
use case that makes sense.
</jedi>

josh