Fedora 12 Graphics Issues: Cancel F13 and concentrate on fixing F12 ?

[Jesse Keating]

On Nov 26, 2009, at 6:01, Terry Barnaby <terry1 at beam.ltd.uk> wrote:

> Ok, controversial title.
>
> I have just tried to test install F12 on some of my systems, (5  
> different ones).
> All of these bar 1 has problems with the graphics (X11 lockups,  
> system lockups
> and other problems) mainly in 3D but also in 2D.
> I still am using F8 on most of my systems as the Graphics systems  
> have not
> been stable enough for 3D in Fedora since around those times.
>
> I know there is a lot of work going on in the graphics front, I myself
> have worked on and fed back issues as time and ability allow. During  
> F11
> I helped with some issues, but unfortunately none of these made it  
> back into
> updates for F11 and now F12 is out with yet more issues.
>
> The Linux kernel is generally relatively stable, as is the main system
> libraries etc in Fedora. The core issues most people seem to be  
> facing is Graphics and Sound issues. Obviously a major issue with  
> Graphics is the sheer
> number of different graphics chip sets in use and the lack of  
> documentation
> for quite a few of them. Due to this it requires a lot of user  
> testing and
> feedback to get these issues sorted out. Unfortunately the very fast
> Fedora new release schedule gets in the way of getting this testing  
> done
> and things do not get fixed prior to a new release which introduces  
> yet
> another set of problems. The new release speed also uses a lot of
> developer and user time in just managing to create a new release and
> updating systems to use it.
>
> I know the quick release cycle is one of Fedora's features in its  
> aim to
> be close to the leading edge, but this has to be balanced with  
> usability otherwise there will be few people actually using it in  
> anger and thus
> actually testing the software. This could lead to the demise of  
> Fedora.
>
> As an idea, at this stage, how about canceling the F13 release and  
> just fixing and updating the F12 release ? This will concentrate  
> developers and users into one system release. Similar to the pre- 
> release test days we could have
> post-release test days. For example a Graphics test day for F12 where
> a certain set of tests with a test suite and a set of well known  
> applications
> could be run. As F12 would be out longer, more people could  
> participate in this.
> If a commitment, all round, to producing updates fixing the issues  
> in F12 were made, I think more people would be willing to  
> participate as users could
> expect to see a stable system for their efforts.

You make the assumption that if fedora stopped, so would upstream. You  
also state that the kernel is stable, yet most of the graphics work is  
going on at the kernel level so we have to continue to bring in new  
kernels to pick up these changes.

Graphics work is not a fedora issue alone. It is an upstream issue  
first and formost. By abandoning upstream and trying to stagnate will  
ultimatly damage upstreams ability to gennew changes tested and  
released.

--
Jes