Linux Action Show F14 Review

[Charles Kerr]

This week, the Linux Action Show did a review of F14.  I gave up listening
to the show a few months back when Bryan said "Fuck you Fedora," but tuned
back in for this show to see if anything had changed.

It hasn't...  but, since I was listening anyway, here's my summary
of their constructive criticism:

  * Even during a slow release cycle (as everyone's preparing for GNOME 3),
    it's still important to have something interesting to sell users on the
    release.  F14 had libjpeg-turbo, D, and openstep, but it didn't have
    a "hook."

  * Some of the installer's windows are unpolished.  These were cited:
    http://desktoplinuxreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Install3.png
    http://desktoplinuxreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Install4.png
    http://desktoplinuxreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Install6.png

  * gpk-application was found lacking compared to Ubuntu's Software Center.
    Chris felt that the latter has added value by allowing users to review
    and rate applications, because that allows other users to discover good
    applications.

  * More broadly, they felt Fedora's biggest problems is perceptual.
    They feel Fedora doesn't offer hardcore users anything Arch doesn't,
    that it doesn't offer end-users anything Ubuntu doesn't, and so on.
    They felt that Fedora's community could be energized if the project
    did a better job at distinguishing itself in the distro market.


I know that Rahul, especially, has tried to engage these guys in a dialog in
the past but I think it's a lost cause.  They make some good points, but the
show's S/N is not good:

  * Since Fedora-trolling is now literally a feature of the show,
    the pair spent four minutes at the beginning of the review discussing
    how listeners could tell whether his Fedora-bashing in the review
    was serious, or whether it was the show's obligatory trolling.

  * The installer's windows "look like they have Down's syndrome."

  * A full seven minutes was spent riffing on how inappropriate libjpeg-turbo
    is for a Top Feature in the announce list, including:

  * Maybe Fedora is trying to attract porn surfers, who need to load
    jpegs in a short period of time because they "need to get the job done."

  * Chris floated a theory that RH is paying its people to make weak
    Fedora releases so that it won't be serious competition to RHEL.

  * Bryan argued that Fedora's developers may be "the best possible at
    self-deprecating humor" and that Fedora is intentionally bad as a
    kind of performance art.

  * Two minutes discussing the leopardskin cowboy hat Chris was wearing,
    which to give credit where it's due, was awesome.


Previously:
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/marketing/2010-May/012891.html
https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-marketing-list/2009-June/msg00158.html
https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-marketing-list/2009-June/msg00170.html
https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-marketing-list/2007-November/msg00265.html