Redhat 7.x and 8.x sunset

[david at thekramers.net (David Kramer)]

On Wed, 24 Dec 2003, Don Levey wrote:

> ---> SuSE getting bought *might* be a good thing.  The info you mention

Not if you're a KDE user, like me.  They got bought by the people who own 
the people who make Gnome.

> about Mandrake does not leave me with as much confidence as I'd like; they
> were only one of two that I was actually able to get running with any degree
> of facility and function.

Mandrake, Like SuSE, keeps its own distro-specific config files separate 
from the industry-standard-distro-agnostic ones, and overwrites the 
standard ones.  This is a complete deal-breaker for me.  I will not 
tolerate such behavior.  I'm stuck with it for now, but it has already 
burned me several times on this install.

> ---> I don't mind a nominal fee to get some "extras" - but as a home user I
> don't have, and am not willing to spend, corporate-level prices to get a
> working OS. I'd be happy to stay with RH9, if I could know that updates and
> notifications would still happen.  The up2date utility is half of the
> equation; I like the clearing-house concept for information and bulletins.

OK, here's the bulletin.  After April 2004 (as in 4 months from now), 
there will be ZERO updates to Red Hat 9.  Not security patches, not minor 
fixes.  Nothing.  No matter what tool you like to sync with, there will be 
nothing to sync to.  That is what end of life means.  They pull the plug, 
and post the DNR order on the wall.

> 
> ---> I'm wondering if the two markets were diverging, as far as the effort
> (shared or not) that they needed to invest.  Geeks may have been their
> evangelists, but as a company they need the money to stay afloat.  HOw much
> money is there in giving stuff away for free?  I think it may have been a
> mistake, but I'm not sure that other options would have been better for
> them.

RHAT could have continued to sell a personal user package through mail 
order and/or stores and no longer allow free downloads.  Or they could 
charge a nominal fee for up2date for personal users.  All of those would 
have made them money and me happy.  They chose to completely drop the 
personal user.

-- 
DDDD   David Kramer         david at thekramers.net       http://thekramers.net
DK KD  
DKK D  And I'm alive, and I'm alone, 
DK KD  And I never wanted to be either of those
DDDD                                                       Chemical Brothers