[SOLVED]My issue with RC releases!

[wywer]

Hi all,
I get to see many,rather numerous, newbies entering the Linux world,cautious and a wee bit afraid as to what's in store for them! Ideally, when Linux Mint released the RC version of 17.1,shouldn't the developers(or those who decide what to release and when), add a rider-"not for newbies"?Peace.
regards,
wywerjet

PS: My Linux diary(2008 onwards)-Ubuntu-->Fedora-->Redhat Enterprise-->debian-->LMDE-->MX-14-->OpenSUSE-->Mageia-4-->ubuntu-->now Linux Mint 17 transiting to 17.1.

[richyrich]

A quote from Clem in the Linux Mint Blog : (emphasis mine)

The release process hasn’t changed but because a lot of users are new to Linux and to Linux Mint, I’ll explain it very briefly here. For each edition there are two releases: The RC (“Release Candidate”) and the Stable release. Both releases pass quality testing and are fully functional. However, because the RC is the first release to be publicly available, it represents the first opportunity for users to find bugs the development team was not aware of. From experience, I can say this with certitude: Although we’re usually really happy with the quality of our RCs, we always do find and fix a lot of bugs after the RC and prior to the Stable release. In the two weeks which usually separate the two releases, we listen to feedback, we take notes for the next release and we fix a lot of bugs. In brief: 17.1 will be out in the days to come, but it’s an RC. You might think it’s really stable, and maybe it will be, but we encourage people who want to help us find bugs to try it out and people who are interested in using it for real to skip it and to wait until the end of the month to get the Stable release instead.

[wywer]

A quote from Clem in the Linux Mint Blog : (emphasis mine)

The release process hasn’t changed but because a lot of users are new to Linux and to Linux Mint, I’ll explain it very briefly here. For each edition there are two releases: The RC (“Release Candidate”) and the Stable release. Both releases pass quality testing and are fully functional. However, because the RC is the first release to be publicly available, it represents the first opportunity for users to find bugs the development team was not aware of. From experience, I can say this with certitude: Although we’re usually really happy with the quality of our RCs, we always do find and fix a lot of bugs after the RC and prior to the Stable release. In the two weeks which usually separate the two releases, we listen to feedback, we take notes for the next release and we fix a lot of bugs. In brief: 17.1 will be out in the days to come, but it’s an RC. You might think it’s really stable, and maybe it will be, but we encourage people who want to help us find bugs to try it out and people who are interested in using it for real to skip it and to wait until the end of the month to get the Stable release instead.

Thank you. If you have glanced at my Linux/debian Distro'hopping,along that path was LMDE.I did find it "testing",but could cope as my love with Linux started since 2008.In the recent past,there is a paradigm change in the way Linux in general has re-invented itself(GUI,for EX.) so as to make the transition from Windows to Linux less painful for new entrants! In the 2000's,i found Linux without a catchy GUI and had to rely on CLI! I still refer to the reference book -->LINUX IN A NUTSHELL(A Desktop Quick Reference),6TH Edition by O'REILLY,released in Sep.2009!
The real reason for posting this as a new topic is,the "GenerationNext" are "on the move",thus creating a market for laptops and when these folks focus and convert to Linux,they experience a mis-match(Hardware mainly,but some software). Two things happen at this juncture,1)they simply revert back to Windows and 2) the more tenacious folks try and install a dual-boot(Win./Linux).The 2nd option is actually NOT good in the long run(IMO),as the Win.comfort zone is still there and they can never become "PURE LINUXIANS" and the "Terminal" will,in most cases remain as an option relatively foreign,formidable possibly forever! I rest my case.Peace.
warm regards--wywerjet

[Hoser Rob]

It ain't Mint's fault if new users don't actually read the docs properly.

If you're the sort of person who always half reads directions ... like those guys who paint their house in the spring and think the 10 deg C. on the label means max temp and not min and then princess because the paint's no good ... you will have problems with linux.