Feature template update [was Re: Anaconda is totally trashing the F18 schedule...]

[Josh Boyer]

On Thu, Nov 1, 2012 at 2:45 PM, Jaroslav Reznik <jreznik at redhat.com> wrote:
> ----- Original Message -----
>> On Thu, Nov 1, 2012 at 7:34 PM, Matthew Miller
>> <mattdm at fedoraproject.org> wrote:
>> > On Thu, Nov 01, 2012 at 02:09:21PM -0400, Jaroslav Reznik wrote:
>> >> > That sounds good. Maybe recast those ideas as three levels?
>> >> >  - Critical Path Feature
>> >> >  - Other Enhancement Feature
>> >> >  - New Leaf Feature
>> >> We were thinking with a few folks more about "Self contained
>> >> feature"
>> >> but yeah, there's a lack of real definition.
>> >
>> > I think "Leaf" is better than "Self contained", since it's unlikely
>> > for the
>> > feature to have zero outside dependencies. I think it'd be fine for
>> > such a
>> > feature to rely on small changes to existing packages (version
>> > updates,
>> > say).
>>
>> I'd argue that this isn't a "feature" ... otherwise we could
>> advertise
>> every version upgrade as feature.
>> If it does not affect a large amount of users it is simply a version
>> upgrade not a "fedora feature".
>
> The question is - how do you know if it affects large amount of users,
> it's not an important one, without letting people know, there's such
> feature?

Version upgrades of _most_ packages are not features.  When someone is
updating or installing a new Fedora they _expect_ to be getting newer
versions of packages already.  It doesn't make much sense to update
your local Fedora install if you aren't actually going to get new
things.

Coordination among the other packages in the distro should already be
handled with ABI/soname change notifications in rawhide.  In the rare
case a package change some file format that users need to manually
handle or otherwise be aware of, release notes can cover that under a
special update section.  It doesn't make that version update a
feature.

For things like Gnome 3.6, or KDE 4.<whatever>, or MATE, then sure a
Feature might be warranted there.  Those are clearly large undertakings
that need to be carefully coordinated.  Updating postgresql or gwibber
or cowsay or less are not.

josh