Tech Spec, System Installer

[Chris Murphy]

Re: Fedora Workstation Technical Specification, System Installer
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Workstation/Technical_Specification#System_Installer

The first sentence defines a preference for a minimalist installer user experience, with a hard requirement for dual-boot preserve existing OS (Windows and OS X). 

The second sentence uses "classes of hardware that are expected in workstation-class machines" which includes multiple devices (two SSDs, two HDDs, one of each).

Could the WG clarify the scope of these statements?

Taking them very literally, I could propose:

1. Remove Manual/Custom partitioning path entirely. The Tech Spec doesn't specifically say only the default path should become minimalist.

2. Remove all partition scheme options from the Automatic/Guided path. Two options isn't the minimum possible, no option is.

The existing Automatic/Guided path permits multiple device selection, and makes an assumption how to use them. [1]  Keeping with the minimalist preference, this could still mean no Manual/Custom partitioning: by continuing to make current or revised assumptions, [2] with or without informing the user; or conditionally present a simple UI that enables the user to assist in resolving the ambiguity with a few options: raid0, raid1, and one cache option once one is considered stable. (i.e. not raid4, raid5 or raid6 or concat.)

So is the WG's intent that Automatic/Guided is a recommended path that should simply work for all uses cases, implying the user doesn't really need to be bothered with making such obscure choices? Should Manual/Custom partitioning be removed, de-emphasized (maybe relocated to its own spoke from the hub), or remain essentially as-is in which case the minimalist intent applies specifically to the default Automatic/Guided path?



Chris Murphy



[1] What they get depends on the partition scheme chosen, but none of them cause either raid0 or raid1 to be created. Instead, the LVM and Btrfs options use linear/concat, and the Standard Partition scheme puts /home on one drive and everything else on the other. There's no indication to the user how the selected storage will be used.

[2] Perhaps most users choosing multiple devices in this path think raid1 is being configured? We're already making an assumption now that's probably less correct than assuming either raid1 or raid0, so it's not any more or less correct to change the assumption to something else.