There could be a Long Term Support (LTS) option for Fedora Scientific, built from the latest stable release and tested by the builders.  This sounds a bit like Ubuntu, which might also benefit from a scientific version.  Further upstream, there is Debian Science, which can be built upon directly and which even has versions for many branches of science:

https://wiki.debian.org/DebianScience/

Jean-Victor Côté

 

> Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2014 19:06:39 -0800
> From: [log in to unmask]
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Fedora Scientific Spin
> 
> On 01/15/2014 04:36 PM, Andrew Z wrote:
> >
> > Would not it be sufficient to have a "scientific applications" group 
> > in the installer?
> >
> > On Jan 15, 2014 7:29 PM, "Jean-Victor Côté" <[log in to unmask] 
> > <mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
> >
> > They have included interesting IDEs:
> > https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Scientific_Spin
> > Collaboration between the two projects might prove fruitful, who
> > knows?
> >
> > Jean-Victor Côté, M.Sc.(Sciences économiques), (CPA, CMA), Post MBA
> > J'ai aussi passé d'autres examens, dont les examens CFA.
> > J'ai un profil Viadeo sommaire:
> > http://www.viadeo.com/fr/profile/jean-victor.cote
> > I also have a LinkedIn profile:
> > http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=2367003&trk=tab_pro
> >
> Whether or not a "scientific spin" is placed on Fedora, such an approach 
> does not address the fundamental issue. Fedora is an enthusiast 
> perpetually alpha or beta distribution, never designed as a stable, 
> "bulletproofed", production distribution. For many EL users, clone or 
> TUV, the reason is stability. I do not need nor use beta environments 
> except for testing or for those situations in which I am forced to use a 
> Microsoft product (e.g., MS Win under VirtualBox under Linux). Thus, 
> any Fedora environment simply does not address the needs of my work.
> 
> Yasha Karant