Announcing the release of Fedora 24 Alpha!
by Dennis Gilmore
The Fedora 24 Alpha is here, right on schedule for our planned June
final release. Download the prerelease from our Get Fedora site:
- Get Fedora 24 Alpha Workstation https://getfedora.org/en/workstation/
prerelease/
- Get Fedora 24 Alpha Server https://getfedora.org/en/server/prerelease/
- Get Fedora 24 Alpha Cloud https://getfedora.org/en/cloud/prerelease/
- Get Fedora 24 Alpha Spins https://spins.fedoraproject.org/prerelease
- Get Fedora 24 Alpha Labs https://labs.fedoraproject.org/prerelease
- Get Fedora 24 Alpha ARM https://arm.fedoraproject.org/prerelease
What is the Alpha release?
--------------------------
The Alpha release contains all the features of Fedora 24's editions in
a form that anyone can help test. This testing, guided by the Fedora
QA team, helps us target and identify bugs. When these bugs are fixed,
we make a Beta release available. A Beta release is code-complete and
bears a very strong resemblance to the third and final release. The
final release of Fedora 24 is expected in June.
If you take the time to download and try out the Alpha, you can check
and make sure the things that are important to YOU are working. Every
bug you find and report doesn't just help you, it improves the
experience of millions of Fedora users worldwide!
Together, we can make Fedora rock-solid. We have a culture of
coordinating new features and pushing fixes upstream as much as we
can, and your feedback improves not only Fedora, but Linux and Free
software as a whole.
* https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Releases/24/Schedule
* https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/How_to_file_a_bug_report
Fedora-Wide Changes
-------------------
Under the hood, glibc has moved to 2.23. The update includes better
performance, many bugfixes and improvements to POSIX compliance, and
additional locales. The new library is backwards compatible with the
version of glibc that was shipped in Fedora 23, and includes a number
of security and bug fixes.
We've also updated the system compiler to GCC 6 and rebuilt all
packages with that, providing greater code optimization and catching
programming errors which had slipped past previous compilers.
Workstation
-----------
- Workstation features a preview of GNOME 3.20, which was released
just after the Alpha was cut. The GNOME 3.20 release is already
available in the Fedora 24 update stream. Once you install Fedora 24
Alpha, you can use Software or dnf to update. GNOME 3.20 will of
course be part of Fedora 24 Beta and the Final release.
- We have decided not to make Wayland, the next generation graphic
stack, the default in Fedora 24 Workstation. However, Wayland
remains available as an option, and the Workstation team would
greatly appreciate your help in testing. Our goal is one full
release where the non-default Wayland option works seamlessly, or
reasonably close thereto. At that point we will make Wayland the
default with X11 as the fallback option.
- There have been many changes to theming in GTK+ 3, where a stable
API has not been declared. As a result, applications that use custom
CSS theming, for example, may show issues with their appearance.
This may include default applications that come with Fedora 24 Alpha
Workstation. Users are asked to try out their favorite GTK+ 3 based
applications and report bugs upstream so they might be addressed in
time for the final release.
Server
------
- FreeIPA 4.3 (Domain Controller role) is included in Fedora 24. This
version helps streamline installation of replicas by adding a
replica promotion method for new installs. A new topology plugin has
also been added that automatically manages new replication segment
creation. An effective replica topology visualization tool is also
available in the webUI.
- More packages have been removed from the default Server edition to
make the footprint of the default installation smaller.
Cloud
-----
- For Fedora 24, we're working hard to make Fedora the best platform
for developing containers, from the base Fedora container images to
a full-featured PaaS to run and manage them.
- We're packaging OpenShift Origin for Fedora to make it easy to run
on Fedora. OpenShift Origin is a distribution of Kubernetes
optimized for enterprise application development and
deployment. Origin embeds Kubernetes and adds powerful additional
functionality to deliver an easy to approach developer and operator
experience for building applications in containers.
Spins and Labs
--------------
Fedora Spins are alternative desktops for Fedora that provide a
different desktop experience than the standard Fedora Workstation
edition. Fedora Workstation is built on the GNOME desktop environment
and aims to provide a compelling, easy-to-use operating system for
software developers, while also being well-suited to other users. Our
spins showcase KDE Plasma, Xfce, LXDE, Mate-Compiz, Cinnamon, and
Sugar on a Stick (Soas) on the same Fedora Base.
Fedora Labs are collections of software for specific purposes — Games,
Design, Robotics, and so on. They are pre-selected sets of Fedora
software and are ideal for events or audiences with the corresponding
specific interest. Fedora 24 comes with a new lab, the Astronomy Spin, a
set of tools for astronomers and astrophysicists.
Note that the SoaS spin and Security, Games, and Design Suite labs are
missing from the Fedora 24 Alpha release. We plan to fix this for the
Beta release.
ARM
---
ARM images are available as usual for several usecases. Fedora 24 ships
Desktop images, such as Spins and Workstation, but also provides a
Server image. A minimal Fedora image completes the wide set of install
options for you ARM board.
Atomic Host
-----------
Fedora Atomic Host releases on a two-week schedule, and each release is
built on the latest overall Fedora OS. This schedule means the Atomic
Host is currently built on Fedora 23, but will switch to Fedora 24 when
we're out of Beta. There currently is no Fedora Atomic Host built on
Fedora 24 Alpha, but we plan to have that for the Beta.
However, you can try one of the newer features with recent Fedora Atomic
Host builds today. Since Fedora 23 was released, Atomic Host has added a
"developer mode" that gives a better developer experience overall. When
running in DEVELOPER MODE, the host will download and start Cockpit and
fire up a TMUX session to make it easier to work at the console and
obtain necessary information (like the root password, IP address,
etc.).
Issues and Details
------------------
This is an Alpha release. As such, we expect that you may encounter bugs
or missing features. To report issues encountered during testing,
contact the Fedora QA team via the mailing list or in #fedora-qa on
Freenode.
As testing progresses, common issues are tracked on the Common F24 Bugs
page.
* https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Common_F24_bugs
For tips on reporting a bug effectively, read "how to file a bug
report."
* https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/How_to_file_a_bug_report
Release Schedule
----------------
The full release schedule is available on the Fedora wiki:
* https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Releases/24/Schedule
The current schedule calls for a beta release towards the beginning of May,
and
the final release in early June.
Be aware that these dates are development targets. Some projects release
on a set date regardless of feature completeness or bugs; others wait
until certain thresholds for functionality or testing are met. Fedora
uses a hybrid model, with milestones subject to adjustment. This allows
us to make releases with new features and newly-integrated and updated
upstream software while also retaining high quality.
Flock 2016: Krakow, Poland
--------------------------
If you're a contributor to Fedora, or interested in getting more
involved, one way to engage with our community is through Fedora
premier events.
The annual North American/European conference for Fedora contributors
is Flock, which takes place August 2-5, 2016 in Krakow, Poland.
Registration is now open at https://register.flocktofedora.org.
For more information about our Latin American and Asia-Pacific
Conferences, stay tuned for announcements on the Fedora Community
Blog:
* https://communityblog.fedoraproject.org
8 years
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Announcing Fedora's Diversity Adviser and Newest Council Member: María “tatica” Leandro!
by Remy DeCausemaker
Fedorans,
As some of you may recall, Fedora added a new seat to the Fedora
Council for a Diversity Adviser.
It is with great pleasure that we do hereby announce, that this seat
has been filled by long-time Fedora contributor María “tatica”
Leandro!
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/User:Tatica
The Fedora Diversity Adviser acts as a source of support and
information for all contributors and users, especially those from
underrepresented populations, so that issues of inclusion and equity
can be discussed and addressed with planning and strategy.
The Fedora Diversity Adviser will lead initiatives to assess and
promote equality and inclusion within the Fedora contributor and user
communities, and will develop project strategy on diversity issues.
The Diversity Adviser will also be the point of contact for Fedora’s
participation in third-party outreach programs and events.
Full description here: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Diversity_Adviser
To help communicate the responsibilities of the position, we asked
María a few questions about being the Diversity Adviser and any goals
she had as she begins her new position on the Fedora Community Blog.
Here is an excerpt:
---Snip---
Q: How would you describe your position as Diversity Adviser in
relation to the current situation in Fedora?
A: “Since this is the first time Fedora set a position like this, I
see my role more as an informative one. Fedora is a quite diverse
community despite what most people think. We have contributors all
around the world who gather every day to create fantastic software and
spread knowledge; breaking gender, language and distance barriers on a
daily basis.
I also want to serve as a mediator, and let our contributors know that
Fedora has ears for everyone. It’s no secret that being different is
great, but sometimes that puts you on a vulnerable position (as a
Latin American, Spanish Speaker and Female contributor, I can relate
to some), and we want to make sure everyone feels comfortable with the
Fedora family.”
Q: What are some of your goals or vision as Fedora’s Diversity Adviser?
A: “I will start kicking a small survey to know how diverse our
community is, as it’s important to me to understand the reach of our
contributors, their experiences, needs and culture prior to start any
project. It is no secret that to know our future actions we need to
know our numbers, and because we are such a worldwide community,
sometimes we have a huge lack of information about those who
constantly help us be what we are. These actions will allow us to have
a yearly report that will show us more in detail how our progress on
diversity have worked out. This is not a life-time position, so my
main goal is to leave all the needed information ready and available
for those who will follow. Everything in Fedora is a team work, and
the Diversity Adviser position is no different from others.
As we start to learn more from our contributors we will also be able
to create programs to help each minority group. I would like this to
be the second stage of the diversity action plan for 2016. Either
gather once a week to practice English for about half an hour with
some volunteers, to make monthly meetings where one of our
contributors enlighten us with something about their culture; the idea
is to spread knowledge beyond just technology.
Also having a monthly short meeting to discuss those topics that might
need help (revisions on our politics, codes of conduct, an
anti-harassment paper, etc.) or just someone that wants to tell their
experiences. I’m interested into people knowing that Fedora has an
insane cultural background and maybe in a near future, this will open
the eyes of those who think that everything in Fedora is plain blue.”
---Snip---
This interview originally appeared as part of a larger article on the
Fedora Community Blog, titled "Women in Computing and Fedora". You're
encouraged to give it a read and share it with others in and out of
the community!
https://communityblog.fedoraproject.org/women-in-computing-and-fedora/
María is available weekly on Tuesdays at 12:30pm UTC in
#fedora-diversity on Freenode, where you are invited to stop by and
join the conversation.
Congratulations Tatica, and please all join me in giving her a warm
welcome to the Council :)
--RemyD.
--
Remy DeCausemaker
Fedora Community Lead & Council
<decause(a)redhat.com>
https://whatcanidoforfedora.org
8 years, 1 month
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