User base - general productivity user

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 install or upgrade because they expect something different and hopefully improved at the end of the process. Therefore we should avoid regressions from release to release overall, and those changes that do happen should be well documented so users know what to expect before, during, and after a new release installation or upgrade. But installation and upgrading are not known to impact productivity because the user engages in them by choice.

When the user does not choose that path, though, we should take care not to inflict those effects on the user. Accustomization is part of the user's comfort with the system, no matter what the skill level. Unexpected changes disrupt the user's accustomed environment and might cause doubt in the stability of the system and the Fedora Project's ability to manage it.