Planned Obsolesce

[Todd Denniston]

Robert wrote, On 08/03/2008 11:04 PM:
> Hello World,
> 
> As time allows, work is proceeding on moving to a new computer so that an 
> older one can be taken down and recommissioned.  This activity provides a 
> rational for catching up on newsgroups.  Usenet continues to be a good 
> source of information.
> 
> A reply to a the posting in this group caused me to stop, step back, and 
> consider a different respective.  The reply pointed out that Fedora core 
> 6 was supported until one month after the release of Fedora 8.  With 
> releases scheduled every 6 months, any release has a supported life of 
> only 13 months.  The phrase “planned obsolesce” comes to mind.

"Fedora is focused on ... software  innovations and moves quickly."
from http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/LifeCycle

> 
> I probably run an operating system install longer than most.  Of the 
> machines at home and work that come to mind, one is running 5, two are at 
> 6, one at 7, with the latest running 8.  Due to several bad experiences, 
> newer versions are installed only when the machine can be taken down and 
> the disks reformatted.  Running an older version is not the end of the 
> world, but a 13 month support cycle seams a bit short.
> 
> The box running Fedora 8 originally received Fedora 9.  It was for a 
> project that needed to move forward.  The state of KDE made that 
> imposable and Fedora 8 was installed.  That project is now over.  I now 
> realize that support will end one month after the release of 10, or in 
> around 6 months.
> 
> I can see the value of time based releases for publicity and scheduling 
> purposes.  It may not be the best thing for those needing continued 
> utility and stability.
> 

exactly, for those "needing continued utility and stability", they need a 
distro that is concerned with long term support these are generally designated 
as 'Enterprise' editions such as RHEL and SLE[DS], or 'Long Term Support' for 
Ubuntu.
http://www.redhat.com/software/rhelorfedora/

2006-12-30 was certainly a sad day as the Fedora Legacy shut down, but with 
out the manpower, what was the point.

> On a different note, my thanks goes out to those who have made open 
> source work.
> 
> Have a good day,
> Robert H.
> 
> 

http://fedoraforum.org/
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/LifeCycle
http://www.fedorafaq.org/#fedorarhel
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Releases/Schedule#Schedule_Rationale

http://www.redhat.com/
https://www.redhat.com/security/updates/errata/

http://www.centos.org/
http://wiki.centos.org/FAQ/General#head-a3f995090c5d170e4738c162fc126524ef7a62c4
http://wiki.centos.org/FAQ/General#head-d29a2b7e61ffc544973098f9dd49fe4663efba50

http://www.novell.com/products/desktop/
http://support.novell.com/lifecycle/faq.html
http://support.novell.com/lifecycle/lcSearchResults.jsp?st=-1&sl=s&sg=-1&pid=1000
-> find "SUSE Linux Enterprise"

-- 
Todd Denniston
Crane Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC Crane)
Harnessing the Power of Technology for the Warfighter