There is a perpetual problem facing all Linux distributions around how fast to move with software updates. In Fedora, of course, our default speed is petal-to-the-metal. This is part of who we are and why we are awesome. However, it also sometimes makes life difficult for us -- for example, our Puppet packages are broken because Ruby is too new. It also makes life difficult for people trying to use Fedora seriously. It's especially hard with Ruby and Java -- not that there's anything _wrong_ with these languages, but the packaging expectations are different and often in conflict with the system operator's traditional packaging worldview. So, some Red Hat folks have developed an idea called Software Collections http://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/Fedora_Contributor_Documentation/1/html/Software_Collections_Guide/index.html which is aimed at this problem -- it lets you install and choose between different versions of RPM-packaged software in parallel at run-time. The base tool for enabling this (scl-utils) is included in Fedora, but we don't allow Software Collections actually as Fedora packages (see https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/SoftwareCollections). This is for very good reasons -- there are a number of huge unanswered questions around structure, infrastructure, maintenance, and security updates. I think, though, that this tool, integrated well and supported, could really help us in Fedora (and in EPEL). So, I'd like to a) enumerate the problems with Software Collections in Fedora, b) develop a medium-term plan for solving those problems, and c) develop a longer-term plan for taking full advantage of the functionality where appropriate. -- Matthew Miller ☁☁☁ Fedora Cloud Architect ☁☁☁ <mattdm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> -- devel mailing list devel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx https://admin.fedoraproject.org/mailman/listinfo/devel
