obtaining user's hardware info during install

[pottzie]

This comes from someone stating that they couldn't install FC13, and something that occurred to me after I was unable to upgrade from 12 to 13.
Fedora asks as part of the installation if the user wants to send Fedora information about the user's hardware so Fedora has some idea what hardware is being used. It's a great idea, but here's something I've never heard anything about:
Has anyone ever checked to see what hardware Fedora HASN'T been installed on!!! THAT'S THE QUESTION!!!
It comes from a story from WWII where the allies are checking planes coming back from combat missions. The idea is to check the planes after combat to see where extra armor plate needed to be added. Wherever there were bullet holes, that's where they were putting the armor.
Then someone said "Wait a minute. These are the planes THAT MADE IT BACK!".....

Get my drift?

[dd_wizard]

Actually, we're seeing some of that here. A lot of the F13 installation failures are being traced to small hardware sets that weren't adequately tested. Since you can't really report a failed installation from a broken box, the forums are getting a lot of input about incompatible hardware.

dd_wizard

[CSchwangler]

Failed installations or problems with particular hardware components should be communicated in the form of bug reports. From the viewpoint of developers a forum is less than the optimum since it is unstructured and time consuming.

[droidhacker]

Originally Posted by pottzie

This comes from someone stating that they couldn't install FC13, and something that occurred to me after I was unable to upgrade from 12 to 13.
Fedora asks as part of the installation if the user wants to send Fedora information about the user's hardware so Fedora has some idea what hardware is being used. It's a great idea, but here's something I've never heard anything about:
Has anyone ever checked to see what hardware Fedora HASN'T been installed on!!! THAT'S THE QUESTION!!!
It comes from a story from WWII where the allies are checking planes coming back from combat missions. The idea is to check the planes after combat to see where extra armor plate needed to be added. Wherever there were bullet holes, that's where they were putting the armor.
Then someone said "Wait a minute. These are the planes THAT MADE IT BACK!".....

Get my drift?

You make sense, but there is more to the story than that.....
The idea here, I believe, is that there is a difference between "works", and "awesome". There is also the idea that "boots" does NOT mean "everything workd", i.e. the hardware profile will give an idea about what kind of wireless network card, sound card, graphics card, etc. are on the machine. If 50% of the users who successfully install have a wireless card that simply doesn't work (i.e., they're stuck with proprietary drivers or wired network), then it might be worthwhile to put some resources into getting some support for that card.

If only ONE user's profile shows that they have this weird non-working wireless card, then you say "oh well, maybe you should buy a supported card".

In any case, if the kernel won't boot, its kinda hard to send a profile report with that method. In that case, it really does have to be done manually.

[tommytt]

In any case, if the kernel won't boot, its kinda hard to send a profile report with that method. In that case, it really does have to be done manually.

In that event is there a way to save the hardware report and send it from another machine?

I'm getting interested in switching to rawhide but only have access to my laptop in linux or my wifes' desktop which has winblows. Everything else is in the basement where I can't get (handicapped).

Thanks, Tom

[GoinEasy9]

If you install smolt-gui, you can keep your hardware profile somewhere other than on you computer. (I think it's stored in a server room on top of Mt. Smolt, just 2 blocks down from Fedora La.). I'm not positive, but I think that when you're asked to submit your hardware profile during install, it goes to Smolt mountain. smolt-gui is just a way of maintaining it afterwards.

[jpollard]

Of course, you realize that you can only report on such hardware using such a tool
IF the system installed in the first place...

[droidhacker]

Originally Posted by GoinEasy9

If you install smolt-gui, you can keep your hardware profile somewhere other than on you computer. (I think it's stored in a server room on top of Mt. Smolt, just 2 blocks down from Fedora La.). I'm not positive, but I think that when you're asked to submit your hardware profile during install, it goes to Smolt mountain. smolt-gui is just a way of maintaining it afterwards.

You completely missed the point.
It needs to at least PARTLY work in order to generate the profile, regardless of where it is being sent. If it doesn't work AT ALL, then there is no profile, either here OR there.

[GoinEasy9]

Yes, I missed the point, it wasn't one of my best mornings.