Linux Action Show F14 Review

[threethirty]

I really do think trying to engage these guys is a waste of time. They 
are gigantic trolls, and want nothing more for us to look less than 
excellent. I think the best thing to do is ignore them from now on and 
keep on doing what we do best.... making free software better for everyone.

--Jusitn

On 11/12/2010 04:20 PM, Charles Kerr wrote:
> 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