Is Fedora9 leading the Linux trend or the risk frontier?

On Fedora9, the Fedora Project continues to maintain its most creative tradition as the main release version, integrating new applications with its own innovations. However, in the absence of other releases, Fedora is so erratic between leading the frontier and new risk technologies. Sometimes, in terms of system-assisted upgrades and desktop software selection, Fedora9 also controls its innovation and does not make it difficult for users. However, in other cases, the installation of software packages has the most significant change, and this project surpasses the availability of innovative selection.

On Fedora 9, the Fedora Project continues to maintain its most creative tradition as the main release version, integrating new applications with its own innovations. However, in the absence of other releases, Fedora is so erratic between leading the frontier and new risk technologies. Sometimes, in terms of system-assisted upgrades and desktop software selection, Fedora 9 also controls its innovation and does not make it difficult for users. However, in other cases, the installation of software packages has the most significant change, and this project surpasses the availability of innovative selection.

As in earlier releases, Fedora 9 provided a wide range of Installation Options and introduced some of them. Its download page provides 32-bit and 64-bit DVD and CD versions, and provides vivid explanations for GNOME and KDE desktops. In addition, you can choose to create a boot USB flash drive in the Start option of Fedora 9, which includes some data storage and full conversion installation functions. Another option is the custom conversion that contains the subunit. If none of these options are suitable, you can modify them to create your own installation image.

In Fedora 9, you can also create a portable flash drive in Windows by using the live-usb-creator option.

Paul frields, leader of Fedora, said that Wubi for adding Ubuntu will be retained in future functions of Fedora. live-usb-creator seems to be a simpler alternative, this is especially true for the majority of speed problems caused by the ability to boot the disc. Although the project page says it will be implemented soon, this application cannot be used in Fedora now.

Most users may still choose to install the system through a bootable DVD or CD. Starting CD is the quickest choice for downloading and streamlining installation programs, but experienced users may lose control over installation details.

Standard installation uses Anaconda, which may be the oldest GUI for GNU/Linux installation. Anaconda of Fedora 9 makes some improvements from earlier versions, for example, it can be installed in the ext4 File System (You may be very risky because its format is still under development, and only supported by some tool sets), and modify the partition size. Between beta and the final version, the wireless device list on Anaconda seems to have disappeared, leaving a detected device installer, unless it is unknown to start the device to a new system. In addition, in the expected version, Anaconda provides new users with the installation programs that require the least selection, and provides customized functions for experienced users.

Fedora 9 is also expected to be released using update and upgrade in the future. You can use a wizard to complete the upgrade from the existing system. The current update is only for the Development warehouse Rawhide of Fedora. It promises to remove some software that has uncertainties in the upgrade release.

System and desktop

In the background, Fedora 9 made some unnoticeable changes, but these changes may still have a significant impact on their use. PulseAudio is a installable option in Fedora8 and is now the standard for configuring dialogs. It provides more synthetic sounds than earlier options such as ALSA and OSS. Fedora 9 also uses the Canonical Upstart as the System V init script, in addition to more enhancements promised, it also makes the switch machine a little faster. The increase in other speeds comes from Xorg1.4 and XServer1.5, which jointly improve the performance of the X Window System.

After the installation is complete, Fedora 9 opens a desktop with a New Age tie-dye wallpaper. Choosing a standard software is more trendy and risky than in the previous version of Fedora, maybe because there are some exceptions between the scheduled release time and the release of various projects, therefore, we failed to make some calm and safe choices. In any case, the release not only includes some stable new software versions, such as GNOME2.22 and OpenOffice. org2.4, and some still under development applications, such as KDE4.03, Firefox3beta5, 2.6.25 kernel, OpenJDK supplemented by the IcedTea toolbox, and Sun free java. On the whole, the software in development included in the release list has no obvious faults. When Firefox3 is stable enough but has not been optimized, OpenJDK seems to be ready for the golden opportunity of Common Desktop goals. Those wireless devices using the Ralin chipset must be particularly pleased with version 2.6.25's kernel, which already provides built-in support.

For this combination, Fedora 9 only makes a slight enhancement in the application software, such as re-designing the screen resolution dialog box and SELinux policies for browsers and extensions. Probably the most significant change is in network management for daily operations. It now supports multiple active network devices, and the "wireless ad hoc support" described in the release record summary-it seems that wireless devices can be automatically detected without the need to configure them.

Software Installation

The most controversial change in Fedora 9 is the replacement of the front-end through PackageKit for the yum and Pup updaters, which plan to provide a general front-end for all package systems. Although PackageKit does not intend to allow users to install a. DEB and. RPM hybrid package in the same system, or convert the package format, the advantage of the public interface is obvious. PackageKit also has an improvement that significantly exceeds Pup. It also divides the upgrade package into several categories, such as security, bug fixes, and enhancements, so that you don't have to study what to install every time you upgrade.

However, the way Fedora 9 implements changes is imperfect. First, neither Pirut nor Pup is in the software warehouse of Fedora 9. More importantly, when the packagekit interface of GNOME is divided into groups and the search results are filtered, it does not allow installation of multiple groups or multiple options. That is to say, if you want to add KDE or Xfce desktop to the packagekit of GNOME, instead of installing dozens of software packages at the same time, you need to use the Yum command, or install another GUI installation program, such as Yumex.

According to the Fedora 9PackageKit FAQ, multiple groups will be available soon after installation in PackageKit. Given the current lack of this feature, the release containing PackageKit seems immature. It can easily wait for the next release.

Conclusion

In addition to PackageKit problems and KDE4.0.3 to a small extent, Fedora 9 tries to balance its innovation risks with high availability. In the past few months, Fedora has been paying more and more attention to comparing them with Ubuntu, which is commendable. If possible, he is far more innovative than Ubuntu, and there are at least 10 major new ideas on each release. It is also a very good release. The menu and dialog box in Fedora are not slightly patched to fine-tune the user experience.

In addition, the problem with Fedora 9 shows how difficult it is to try to maintain the balance of the Fedora Project. In fact, KDE and PackageKit are constantly being improved, and there are other remote feasible solutions. These are just lucky accidents, and Fedora has not made any.

Although Fddora's innovation has made a more interesting release for people to enjoy, this project still needs to think more about how to change to impress users and ease their creativity. Perhaps these minor problems will help them correct the published strategy before a major accident occurs. (Author: Bruce Byfield Source: 17 lamp)