Software Repositories
An explanation of different software repositories and what this means to you.
As of writing this document Fedora consists of 5 main repositories for software packages. These 5 work as follows:
Fedora: These packages consist of software considered essential in a desktop or server environment to produce a system that is fully capable of performing the core tasks expected of a computer..
Updates: These packages are updates in code, paths and other certain criteria that dictates a new release of a particular package to maintain fluidity of the system or continuity with other packages.
Development: These packages are usually involved in the next official release of Fedora and as such are usually considered "unstable". These packages are having bugs worked out and are in a constant state of movement. Another term for this repository is "Rawhide". Use of this repo presupposes that the user has advanced knowledge of the system and the bug filing process. If a yum update is successfully performed with this repo enabled, the system is then at the bleeding edge and is nearly impossible to return to its previous state. Developers and active testers primarily use this repo.
Fedora-Source: These are the src.rpm source packages which correspond to the precompiled packages in the Fedora repo.
Other essential (though not necessary for the average user) Fedora repositories include: Development and Updates-testing.
Updates-testing: These packages are in the pipeline to be introduced to the Updates repo and seeded out among the various mirrors. It is the equivalent to Development for the current release and is also looked at as unstable due to the testing nature. Developers and active testers primarily use this repo.
The Development and Updates-testing repos are not enabled on a default install of Fedora and no action needs to be taken if you have not altered the default yum configuration.
A note about 3rd party Fedora software repositories
3rd party repositories are not a part of the Fedora Project but seek to enhance the user experience by providing software that may contain restrictive patents or other questionable legalities such as MP3 or DVD playback. 3rd party repositories are usually safe to use but there are package exceptions in nearly all of them with the exception of Livna, who works directly with the Fedora team to ensure seamless integration. Use caution when enabling other software repos as core packages and other important rpm packages can be overwritten causing (at worst) a total system reinstall. Performing a yum update with any 3rd party repo other than Livna or Dribble is not recommended and will result in numerous broken packages and possibly hours of extra work for you. DO NOT mix 3rd party repos, this will break yum/rpm. Alternatively, you can learn to build your own packages here
Why is this you might ask? Good question. People tend to get used to their own methods of doing things which ultimately results in conflicts when mixed. There is more than one way to build a package and different methods of integrating them into the system. Different dependencies may be required by different repos that have the same package for instance, this results in conflicts. Certain file paths may be changed or named completely differently, etc. At this time there is no universal 3rd party repo or any agreed method for package deployment among the various maintainers.
If you'd like to change this here are some suggestions: Donate your time as a maintainer to the repo of your choice. Get involved and make your opinions known. However, keep in mind that demanding or using harsh tones with others will not get you anywhere. Remember, many people have been at this for years and change is difficult when systems that seem to work are already in place, not to mention the extra time and money involved. More intelligent people involved means more intelligent ideas and discussion. Please take a look here: RPMFusion coming soon.
Some well known 3rd party software repositories serving Fedora users include (in alphabetical order): ATrpms, DAG, Dribble, Dries, FreshRPMS, Jpackage, Livna, RPMForge, and PlanetCCRMA
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