Are Red Hat changing philosophy of updates?

[Ed Greshko]

Bill Medland wrote:
> I've just received a "Welcome to Red Hat Advisor" email.  It 
> talks about a RHEL3U5 Beta and RHEL4U1 Beta.
> 
> I was under the impression (including based on a reply I think I 
> got on this list) that the updates were merely a repackaging of 
> the previous update plus all rpms upgraded since that time.  
> Thus there would be no difference between installing an early 
> update plus running up2date as opposed to installing the latest 
> update.
> 
> Mentioning a beta seems to suggest that the product being beta-ed 
> is something more that simply a repackaging.
> 
> Is Red Hat about to confuse things or is there some other reason 
> for releasing betas of updates?

I've not read the "Welcome to Red Hat Advisor" email....but things
haven't changed at all at Red Hat.

There has always been a beta release period for the next update.  For
example, they have just sent out the notice for "Red Hat Enterprise
Linux 3 Update 5 Availability Announcement".  Prior to that, there was a
beta period for the community to test Update 5.  Sometime in the not to
distant future there will be a RHELv3_U6 Beta available...and after
testing/verification it will be "released".

And, yes, the beta (and the update release) is not simply "repackaging".
 I guess you can call it "bug/security fix" rollup.



-- 
"A common mistake that people make when trying to design something
completely foolproof was to underestimate the ingenuity of complete
fools."

--Ford Prefect in "Mostly Harmless".