Mandriva update statistics
Some statistics, before I go on holidays until the end of the year.
Looking at bugfix updates, we’ve seen a steady increase since I’ve kept track (going back to 1999, although I think in 1999 it was only a half-year of doing updates).
- 1999: 13
- 2000: 24
- 2001: 25
- 2002: 27
- 2003: 44
- 2004: 64
- 2005: 65
- 2006: 67
- 2007: 144
- 2008: 214 (to-date)
For security updates, it’s not quite as drastic, at least not in the last few years (but compared to 1999… wow):
- 1999: 18
- 2000: 108
- 2001: 120
- 2002: 102
- 2003: 143
- 2004: 176
- 2005: 249
- 2006: 251
- 2007: 262
- 2008: 263 (to-date)
I have nothing really to say other than I like numbers and my last “statistical analysis” met with so much success (hi Adam!) =)
Anyways, I find it fascinating and it really indicates why I’ve spent so little time on development in the last few years. When the number of advisories were half what they currently are, or less, I was much more active in cooker, writing documentation, etc. Now, it’s hard enough just keeping up with the security updates and you guys are determined to keep me busy with these bugfix updates!
Adam Williamson
I got nothing – except it’d be interesting to do a proportional comparison with the number of packages.
Anyway it’s Trevor Linden night in Vancovuer and we beat the feckin Oilers, so I don’t care about anything except having another beer. Heh heh.
Dec 18, 2008 @ 01:29:39FACORAT Fabrice
I don’t know if the trend concerning the bugfix updates is a good thing/sign …
You can see it as the fact that we are more reactive about backporting fixes, however you can also see it as a decreased in the quality of the distribution, but even more, on the (upstream ) softwares …
It would have been interesting to see theses number for each distro release. I guess that 2009.0 will have a high mark.
Dec 18, 2008 @ 06:08:28Stéphane
Hi Vincent,
These simple numbers show the great work you are doing, keep on doing it!
You’ve not told it, but those updates are produced in a very little time (particularly for security ones), which has been spotted positively already by others (i’ve not been able to find back the link, but this was fair).
Have nice holidays !
Dec 18, 2008 @ 09:02:05vdanen
Adam: good thing I don’t like hockey or I’d be up in arms that you beat the Oilers. And I had heard they were doing pretty good. =)
Fabrice: yeah, it would take a wee bit more work to get stats per distribution (doable, of course). I don’t know if these are upstream bugs we’re fixing tho. A lot of the ones recently are build/patching bugs and fixes to our tools. Of course, that could also mean we weren’t fixing as many post-release bugs as before, but now we’re making a real effort to fix all the issues we come across post-release (which is a good thing).
Stephane: thanks! If you do find the link, please share it. =)
Dec 18, 2008 @ 09:19:03FACORAT Fabrice
LWN.net was positive about Mandirva security updates, and Beranger too
Dec 18, 2008 @ 11:29:07Adam Williamson
vdanen: they lost 9-2 night before we beat ‘em, so not doing stunningly, no
Fabrice, in response to your first comment – as I said, the raw count is not enough, to really detect trends, we need to look at the ratio of advisories to packages in /main. If you have 10 advisories on 1000 packages in one release, and 20 advisories on 4000 packages in the next, you’re actually doing quite well.
I think in fact the curve would still be an upward one, just not too steep.
Dec 18, 2008 @ 11:56:58vdanen
Well, I can give you the count of srpms in main, per distro (so correlation “per year” is left as an exercise to the reader):
That’s all I have for srpms; the rest I counted by binary packages (details all the way back to 6.0, actually — but binary packages is a bad representation)
Dec 18, 2008 @ 12:35:32Ramesh R Nair
After online updating of Mandriva, the screen does not boot back to the normal Mandriva Desktop. Please advise
Dec 20, 2008 @ 09:48:41vdanen
Well, you can go to the Mandriva Club forums, or (if you think it’s a bug and can demonstrate it is one), file a report in Bugzilla. Or subscribe to the expert (or newbie) mailing lists and ask there.
This blog isn’t really a support forum, sorry. You’re also not providing enough information… I don’t think anyone can give you any advice. Of course, if you post the above in the Mandriva Club forums, someone will ask for all the pertinent and generally useful information you’ve neglected to include.
My advice would be to go there.
Dec 20, 2008 @ 09:54:14