Changes/RetiredPackages

Retired Packages

Summary

Easy the task of removing packages, which were retired and no longer receives updates.

Owner

• Name: Miroslav Suchý
• Email: msuchy@redhat.com

Current status

• Targeted release: Fedora Linux 36
• Last updated: 2021-10-07
• FESCo issue: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
• Tracker bug: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
• Release notes tracker: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>

Detailed Description

This follows the Changes/Fedora-Retired-Packages which was withdrawn. This time I provide a script remove-retired-packages (presented in the package of the same name) which identifies packages retired between N-1 and current (N) version. Alternatively, user can run:

   remove-retired-packages 32

which will look for packages between Fedora Linux 32 and the current version.

The packages are suggested to be removed one by one, which allows the admin to skip the package and keep it on their machine despite being retired.

Part of this proposal is to change the documentation for the upgrade.

Feedback

See Changes/Fedora-Retired-Packages#Feedback original feedback page

Discussion on devel mailing list prior this proposal.

Benefit to Fedora

• We suggest users to remove packages that are no longer maintained and may contain security vulnerabilities.
• We make sure that archaic packages do not break upgrade between two versions of Fedora.

Scope

• Proposal owners:

Subpackage remove-retired-packages has been created (subpackage of fedora-upgrade).

• Other developers: N/A (not needed for this Change)

• Release engineering: N/A (not needed for this Change)

• Policies and guidelines: N/A (not needed for this Change)

Edit of https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/quick-docs/dnf-system-upgrade/#sect-optional-post-upgrade-tasks - will be done after approval from FESCO.

• Trademark approval: N/A (not needed for this Change)

• Alignment with Objectives: N/A

Upgrade/compatibility impact

No direct impact.

How To Test

   dnf copr enable msuchy/remove-retired-packages 
   dnf install remove-retired-packages
   remove-retired-packages

User Experience

Packages that are no longer maintained are removed during a distribution upgrade.

Dependencies

None.

Contingency Plan

• Contingency mechanism: (What to do? Who will do it?) N/A (not a System Wide Change)
• Contingency deadline: N/A (not a System Wide Change)
• Blocks release? N/A (not a System Wide Change), Yes/No

Documentation

N/A (not a System Wide Change)

Release Notes

TBD