Hello all: I am creating a Fedora spin for researchers and have previously discussed this idea on the developers and release engineering mailing list. However, with the hope that my spin will be officially accepted for future releases, I am going to follow the process listed in [1]. As a first step, this email. Background: ----------------- I am a long-term Linux user and have been into full-time scientific research for the past 3 years now. Everytime I have to do a fresh-install of Linux (not so frequently, ofcourse), I have to download a bunch of tools which I use regularly. For example, gnuplot, xfig, LaTex compilers, numpy, etc. Say hello to Fedora-Scientific. The idea is to create a Fedora spin based on the default "Fedora GNOME Desktop", but having additional tools which most researchers will use. Current State ----------------- After discussions on the release engineering mailing list with Bill Nottingham, I proposed a patch to the comps-f16-xml.in file [2], which basically adds a new set of mandatory packages in the "Engineering and Scientific" group. Considering this new "Engineering and Scientific" group, my current kickstart file looks like [3]. I have tested it with the rawhide repository and it looks good to me. The ISO stands at ~1.2 G Scope and Future ----------------------- - I have decided upon the current set of applications based on my own experience and likings. I am obviously open to include any other application. I should point out here that my idea is to have a generic toolset made available. The number of tools currently available in different domains- Physics, Chemistry, Biology is just too many. - I haven't actively looked into applications which may not be available in the repository and is important to a spin such as this. Needless to say, I am going to take upon the responsibility of packaging such software. Conclusion -------------- That's all for now. I shall look forward to your comments and suggestions and if this sounds like an interesting idea, will work towards its acceptance by the Spins SIG. [1] http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Spins_Process [2] http://git.fedorahosted.org/git/?p=comps.git;a=commitdiff;h=ebfe294e32736... [3] https://bitbucket.org/amitksaha/custom_linux/src/392dec59a13e/fedora-live... Thanks! -Amit -- http://echorand.me