On Apr 23, 2010, at 11:42 AM, Simon Hobson wrote:
Rob Sterenborg wrote:
> Message of freshclam did not specify that older versions would
stop.
It was the same message as for minor upgrades. This did not give the
information that something different than usual was planned.
It still means you should upgrade and the message was ignored long
enough that ClamAV stopped working. The fact that there is no
*immediate* need to upgrade when the message is first seen, does
not mean you can wait that long.
The OP use(s|d) an EOL Debian and an EOL ClamAV. If the OP upgrades
ClamAV to a more recent version then he's back in business, even
with an EOL Debian.
And ... it proves your argument that "there was a warning message so
it's entirely the users fault" is completely bogus. Guess what, with
a fully up to date installation, with ALL updates installed,
freshclam still reports THE SAME WARNING.
So does that mean we should expect our fully up to date installation
to "just stop working" ? And when, tomorrow, next week, next
month, ... ? Do we have to start checking the ClamAv website to see
if 9.5 is going to be EOL'd and remotely killed before 9.6 gets into
Debian ? Note that just updating a fresh install isn't sufficient to
give a working system - a fresh Debian install, with all updates
installed, does not have a working ClamAV on it. Users need to add
Volatile for that to work.
Yes, it would be an idea to keep a bit more current, but that
**SHOULD** be the decision of whoever is responsible for the box
having balanced all the factors that affect his (or her) operations.
It may not be the case for this particular package, but there are
often other things that prevent upgrades - I've got several systems
running various old versions of various OS's for the simple reason
that I've got various items of hardware that have no support in
current versions.
I have a system still running DOS 3.something - it's part of a
system that no longer has any vendor support but which still does
the job I require it to do. I have a VM running Windows 98 because I
have some software I need to run on it. I have a pile of CD's here
that are unreadable in Vista or Win7 - so to access the manuals on
them I must run an outdated system. I have an old laptop with Mac OS
10.4 because my scanner software won't run on 10.5 or 10.6 and the
vendor has dropped support. And I've got boxes here (still doing
useful jobs) for which 10.5 is not a supported OS.
And those are only the 'hard' limits - ie stuff that *cannot* be
upgraded. there are 'soft' reasons too - such as balancing the risk
of upgrading vs the risk of not upgrading. I have one system where I
know 100% that applying all updates *will* break it - so I have to
hold back certain packages until one or other of the imcompatible
bits gets fixed.
Applying the logic used with some venom here, every one of those
systems should have been upgraded and/or scrapped - never mind
whether they would still be capable of doing the job they are there
for.
Again, not aiming this at you specifically, but at all those who
have been advocating with religious zeal that there should be, and
cannot be, any other policy that "all updates applied all the time
as soon as they come out" - or something very close to that. And
then I note that one of those busy telling people they are complete
idiots and unfit to be running a toaster (OK, slight exaggeration
for dramatic effect) for running anything but the very latest
versions ...
... earlier today admitted that he has a system to take through six
- yes SIX - OS upgrades to bring it up to date. I can only assume he
had his reasons, and that he balanced the risks (upgrade vs leave
alone), and most importantly that if left for as long as it has ...
he had some expectation that it wouldn't be artificially crippled by
some outside influence before he got around to upgrading it.
--
Simon Hobson
And just when I thought the backhoe had put this poor equine to
rest.....
Jim
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