T-7 and counting….no wait make that T-14 for the launch of Fedora 13, codenamed Goddard.
Fedora 13 had been scheduled for release next week, and is now being pushed back by a week to Tuesday May 25th. The release was at a go/no go decision point based on the quality release criteria in place for Fedora.
I spoke with Fedora Project Leader Paul Frields the other week and he mentioned to me that Fedora 13’s release date would slip if the blocker bugs had not been fixed in time. For Fedora releasing on time is less important than releasing a Linux distribution that works.
Blocker bugs are by definition bugs that block a release because they’re in some way blocking user/system functionality in a negative way. Sure there are always bugs beyond the blocker that often get fixed in the days/weeks following a release — but the point is that the ‘out-of-the-box’ experience for an upgrade or new install should just work.
The transparency in Fedora release process is one that I personally
admire a great deal. It provides insight into how the distribution
release process is determined, not by arbitrary decisions but rather by
adherence to pre-determined criteria.
So congratulations to Fedora and its leadership for taking the time and care to ensure that the Fedora 13 release works on its release day. I have little doubt that the Fedora community will mind waiting the extra 7 days while the bugs get fixed. Releasing when ready is always the best policy.