Call for agenda for Workstation WG meeting 2014-Dec-17

[Josh Boyer]

On Tue, Dec 16, 2014 at 2:12 PM, Peter Laursen <jazcyk at gmail.com> wrote:
> I could request extensive btrfs support - including
>
> 1) A 'system restore' GUI interface.
> 2) a GUI backup tool using btrfis snapshots (this would be quite simple
> actually - refer link:
> https://btrfs.wiki.kernel.org/index.php/Incremental_Backup)

Investing any effort into btrfs before the actual filesystem is ready
seems premature.  I still don't see Workstation defaulting to btrfs in
the F22 timeframe.

> (Actually I think it would be nice that - if btrfs is used - that there is a
> separate login option  for managing backup and restore options and ONLY THAT
> - a 'safe mode 'of some kind). Facebook are heavily investing btrfs as a
> file system backend (and it will be terrific when FD22 is released), but I
> don't expect then them to provide GUI tools)

I think btrfs specific GUI tools are a mistake in general.  You can
accomplish e.g. snapshots and management using other technologies.
Creating a nice GUI frontend that works with multiple backends would
probably be more productive.  At the very least, it would leave you
with a GUI that isn't tied to a filesystem that is going to be "ready"
Real Soon Now for the past couple of years.

> FYI: SuSE 12.3 has a 'Snapper' application (command line as well as a simple
> YaST applet based on "btrfs utilities") but it is very simple and more a
> demonstration than really usable IMO. Distributors could work together on
> such things.

Snapper is in Fedora.

Your requests aren't bad at all, but they aren't new.  Everyone wants
btrfs because it was hyped as the filesystem of the future.  The
future isn't here yet, and it's going to require the people that would
like these things to happen to pitch in.

josh