Hello,

One of the things that prevented me to switch from Windows to Fedora Linux was the application software update policy in there. For example when I tried to use Fedora 33 I was unable to upgrade most of such software into their current release versions. For example the Git package was never updated, except for a security related reason.

But now I see it's updating Git for the last three Fedora releases:

https://packages.fedoraproject.org/pkgs/git/git/

According this web page the 2.45.0-1 version of the Git package is in testing stage for Fedora 40, 39 and 38.

This is good. But is all application software have the same update policy in Fedora now? If I throw away Windows 10 and install Fedora 40 will I get new versions of other applications? For example LibreOffice, JDK, Maven, Audacious music player, etc.? If there was change in the application software update policy could you point me to the official press release or at least to an email about that in some Fedora mailing list?

Well, IBM is firing all of the Red Hat people so Fedora is mostly maintained by IBM-AIX staff. Changes are inevitable.

Personally, I now avoid RHEL, Fedora, and CentOS-Stream for more community friendly options.

What exactly are you looking for?
Perhaps we might have useful suggestions!

I'm looking for a Linux with very stable and mature base system and very new rolling application software.
Most of the Linux distros are either whole mature/old or whole rolling and buggy.

Two that I know that are rolling but more stable are Manjaro (like Arch but with better stability and more testing) and VOID (rolling but not based upon ANYTHING else and with a great and conservative testing team.

Manjaro tries to make it all easy for you, and there is less of a learning curve.

Void gives you a fast and stable base system, and then you have to install ALL of the moving parts. Once you get it set up the way you like, you just call and update and grab the new versions every little while (day or week, up to your) and they have tested to ensure it will all work.

Manjaro is fast, and I love the option to run the Plasma desktop.
Void runs even FASTER, takes more reading and work to set up the first time, and has a somewhat more limited application selection.

Advantage over Fedora pre-IBM in that Fedora required a reinstall (or major and risky in-place major upgrade) every year or less to stay in support. Neither of these do.

With Manjaro: I know it will be tempting, but try not to install anything from AUR unless you absolutely must. The packages in the main repos are better tested and less likely to ever cause a problem. AUR might have a newer app or version, but one not fully tested or verified by the Manjaro team.

The policy AFAIK is that major releases (bumps to the whole-number part of the version) get held back for the next [Fedora] release. Everything else just goes through a standard process.

If you want a rolling release that's like Fedora: have you looked at Tumbleweed?

I second Tumbleweed, as it's been my daily driver for years. Haven't had anything but one or two minor snags in all that time. And to me, your rationale isn't too sound...you either want "whole/mature" (that doesn't get frequent updates), or frequently updated which DO get such things. You have to pick one or the other.

And ask yourself what actual FEATURES are missing from an update? If you're just wanting the latest for the sake of wanting the latest, you'll always be wanting. You don't get frequent updates now on Windows, so what's the difference here??

This is almost the same question you asked before:
https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...re-4175734794/

...which seemed to be a thread about how bad Linux was, how bad the package maintainers are, etc.

I had a very bad experience with Arch. Rolling is rolling and I'm looking for not rolling distro.

Again, I don't like any rolling Linux distribution and this topic is about Fedora.

This is not true. You don't have to reinstall Fedora from scratch every major release. You can upgrade an existing system:
https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US...a-new-release/

My bad experience with Arch was not related to AUR at all.

Write to whom you are writing. dugan didn't ask and didn't open that other topic but I did.
And that thread was about my looking for a good Linux dostro, not about what you think.

This thread is also not about what you're trying to discuss instead of the original.
This is about Fedora and its possible change in their application software update policy.
Do you have something to say specifically about that?
Other rantings are undesirable.

Right...and you were who I was responding to.
This thread is exactly like the other one you posted, where you're asking for "solid stable base system (kernel, standard base libraries and utils and also DE) and rolling/latest application and development software" (your words from that other thread). The only difference here is you're asking about Fedora 40, and you've been told plainly that it (nor much of anything else) will fit needs that are contradictory to each other.

As you were told, you can't have the latest applications linked to/working with older libraries. Either update or stay with what you have...there's no third option. And again, as asked, what actual PROBLEM/FEATURE are you missing if you don't have the 'latest' application?? Application packages for distros are updated when they've been tested against the entire distro, by the development team. While applications themselves may be released earlier, there are a LOT of software packages to build/test/modify for particular distros. Having to wait a little while doesn't seem that arduous, and if you really want the latest of everything, you're free to download the source and build it yourself. Not seeing the real issue.

And the rantings you speak of seem to be in your other thread. You come here for advice and are given advice by those who know, then seem to continually argue with us with "This is not true", and other such things. If you know better, then proceed; you don't need us. You claim in your other thread that RHEL is what you want, but (somehow) with later versions of applications...again, feel free to download sources of whatever you'd like and see if you can compile them. No one is stopping you.

Well, there is no way to have a non-rolling distribution with rolling applications. And I did not recommend ARCH, and would not for anyone who specifically wanted stability. Ont he other hand, I would never recommend Fedora for anyone who wanted stability either. I know of no way to make Fedora act like a stable release (it is not) or have rolling applications (it has normal application updates, but not rolling.Which is what I said. In my opinion those in-place major updates are risky, but if you accept the risk that is your choice.

Sorry my recommendations did not meet with your approval, but they are the best recommendations I could make to get rolling application updates and a more stable distribution. I am not aware of any way to get that behavior out of Fedora.

1 members found this post helpful.

This is definitely not true. Just think about following:

1. The Firefox browser is already rolling in Fedora, meaning they bring you new versions of it all the time particular version of Fedora is officially supported.
2. Authors of application software usually are not coupled with the latest versions of libraries they use. So you definitely can use older versions of the libraries, if they meet the minimal version requirement.
3. Builds of the most of those application software exist for Windows as well and usually support very old versions of it. For example Windows 10 was releases 9 years ago.

Or just try to answer the following question: why 5 - 7 years ago Fedora didn't release new versions of Git (except for security reasons) after any particular Fedora version is already released? I will answer you. They just didn't want to do that for non-technical reasons. And you see, now they do that.

I agree that Fedora is not solid stable but since it isn't rolling it is more stable than any rolling distro. Also the stability of any particular Fedora release usually increases with time after its release and there are people that prefer to use Fedora release N-1 to get more stable Fedora. Also Fedora is just a test stand of things Red Hat is going to use in SentOS Stream and in RHEL. So if they changed the application software update policy in Fedora there is a good chance they will do or even already did the same in at least CentOS Stream. CentOS Stream or even Fedora N-1 might be stable enough for me and if they will bring the latest application software even with some delay this is good enough for me. At least for throwing Windows and switching into Linux as my main OS.

ALL major distributions have normal minor updates, security patches, and application updates. All of them limit those updates to levels that will remain stable on their system except for a few TESTING specific.

Fedora is a test bed for CentOS RHEL desktop. CentOS-Stream is a test bed for RHEL Server. I do not call that stable, but use your own words.

I have no more suggestions that could help you. If you find what you need please comment here so others can use this thread to find the same solution or information you found.