Fedora 41 is almost here, with a release date in early November. Meanwhile, the team is already planning what will go into Fedora 42, which is expected to come out sometime after mid-April next year.
One exciting development is the transition from the GTK-based Anaconda installer to a web-based one (a change that openSUSE is also adopting).
In light of this, an official proposal has already been made, so Fedora users can expect a significant overhaul in the OS installer in the distro’s version 42. Here’s what it’s all about.
Traditionally, Anaconda’s GTK UI offered three partitioning methods:
- Automatic Partitioning: Users select disks (with an optional encryption feature), and Anaconda handles the rest. If the disks aren’t empty, a pop-up allows users to choose which partitions to remove or keep to free up space.
- Custom Partitioning: This advanced option lets users design their partitioning setup by selecting disks and defining mount points without worrying about the underlying processes.
- Blivet-GUI: An external tool integrated into Anaconda, Blivet-GUI provides a bottom-up approach, allowing users to create partitions and filesystems like Btrfs directly.
However, the development team behind Anaconda is introducing a new partitioning approach within the new web-based UI, which is still in development, aiming to simplify the installation process while catering to both novice and advanced users.
The new partitioning approach centers around two main solutions:
Guided Partitioning: This enhanced automatic partitioning method allows users to select their installation goals with additional customization options. The aim is to cover most users’ needs through a more intuitive and goal-oriented process. The current implementation includes:
- Reinstall All Selected Disks: Removes everything on the selected disks and reinstalls the system.
- Install into Free Space: Utilizes existing free space on selected disks for installation.
- Use Existing Storage: Assigns mount points to existing partitions, ideal for reusing previous setups or partitions created with other tools.
On top of that, future enhancements based on user feedback may include options like:
- Reinstall Existing System: Allows users to select and reinstall over an existing system, with the possibility of preserving user data in the “/home” directory.
- Easy Space Reclamation: Simplifies the process of freeing up space on disks for installation, akin to previous methods in the GTK UI.
Cockpit Storage Integration: In addition to the guided partitioning, Anaconda will integrate Cockpit Storage into the new web UI. It is an external tool that offers robust disk management capabilities. Since both Anaconda’s web UI and Cockpit Storage utilize the same technologies (PatternFly and Cockpit frameworks), the integration promises a seamless user experience.
It is important to note that actions in Cockpit Storage are applied immediately without the planning phase present in the old GTK UI.
Just to mention, this is currently only a proposal. Before it can become a reality, it must first be approved by the Fedora Engineering Steering Committee (FESCo), a key governing body within the Fedora Project that oversees various technical decisions related to the development of Fedora.
Lastly, besides introducing a new web installer, Fedora 42 will also feature another notable, albeit slightly controversial, addition: opt-in user metrics collection. As we informed you at the beginning of July, a proposal was made to include it, which was shortly afterward approved.
For more information, refer to the proposal itself.
