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Revision as of 22:04, 10 March 2010 by Pfrields (talk | contribs) (Add draft)

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This page is a draft only
It is still under construction and content may change. Do not rely on the information on this page.

This page describes one of the characteristics of the broad range of users for whom we should target our distribution.

General productivity user

We expect the majority of users to be interested in a set of general productivity tasks. These tasks are usually non-technical in nature. They involve communication and the creation, storage, location, and viewing of content. They are common to both novice and experts alike, and we should deliver a platform that allows users to engage in these tasks without interruption or disruption. Processes that interrupt or disrupt the user while engaging in these tasks should be minimized, and if possible, eliminated. These tasks might include:

  • Logging in to the system
  • Navigating local resources
  • Browsing the web
  • Creating, storing, and viewing a variety of functional documents
  • Locating and viewing/playing media
  • Sending and receiving email
  • Communicating via messaging

Users should reasonably expect to have a substantially different experience after installing, or upgrading to, a new Fedora release. Users should expect that for the lifecycle of that operating system, they'll receive updates that fix specific problems and protect the security of their system. Users shouldn't expect to have their environment change substantially as a result of those updates, other than to resolve specific bugs.

One of Fedora's objectives is to remain close to upstream releases, but that doesn't imply a stable release of Fedora should track each new upstream release, especially when doing so would alter the user experience beyond fixing bugs or security problems. Changes of this nature disrupt the user's accustomed environment and encourage users to doubt the stability of the system and the Fedora Project's ability to manage it.