greetings --- i am putting this on _chat because it is more than a "question" and it has a tinge of "advocacy".
let me say, straight_away, that i am not making any allegations or accusations; i am attempting to reason this through, deductively, and i am making little head_way. question: if version "x dot y_plus_one" is "better" [ for some definition of that word ] than version "x dot y", then why is support for the "better" version being terminated, by --design--, before support for the "less_than_better" version ? i just don't understand the "by design" part. i can understand longer support, by design, for the last version of a series [ e. g., 4.11, 5.5, 6.4, 7.3, et cetera ]; some people may like some characteristic [ of course, the last version --should-- have a long_date, by design, on general principle ]. i can understand shorter support, by design, for the zeroth version [ e. g., 5.0 ]; after all, it is, effectively, a "super_beta". i can understand, after_the_fact, extending an original end_of_life_date, due to the occurrence of some un_foreseen event. i suppose that some_one will "pipe_up" that this policy reduces the number of versions that are to be maintained; but, this argument has a flaw. in the sequence "long_date_a, short_date_b, long_date_c": if i am running "a", then why should i upgrade to "b"; if i am going to have to upgrade to "c", anyway ? i may_as_well wait for the release of "c", in the first_place. from this, it follows that there isn't much point in releasing "b" [ if many follow this reasoning, why bother ? ]. on the other hand, "b" could be announced as a "super_beta" for "c", i suppose; but, now, i have shifted from deduction to induction [ do i really want to go here ? ]. i have considered the possibility that my lack of understanding could result from my not being a "bleeding edge" type. i have rejected this argument because these people will always install the "latest_and_greatest" version nearly immediately; therefore, to them, the details of --any-- policy will be irrelevant. looking at the dates [ included below, for_your_ready_reference ], if a body is running 6.4, they may_as_well wait until the end of the year, so as to re_evaluate the situation, in light of the possible existence of 7.5, 8.3 and/or 9.1; right now, 7.3 is the only one that is worth the effort. i just don't "get it". rob FreeBSD Security Officer wrote: [snip] > Please note that since FreeBSD 7.1
has been designated for 'Extended' support, it will continue to be supported until the end of January 2011, i.e., FreeBSD 7.1 will be supported longer than FreeBSD 7.2.
[snip]
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Branch | Release | Type | Release date | Estimated EoL | |-----------+------------+--------+-----------------+-----------------| |RELENG_6 |n/a |n/a |n/a |November 30, 2010| |---------------------------------------------------------------------| |RELENG_6_4 |6.4-RELEASE |Extended|November 18, 2008|November 30, 2010| |---------------------------------------------------------------------| |RELENG_7 |n/a |n/a |n/a |last release + 2y| |-----------+------------+--------+-----------------+-----------------| |RELENG_7_1 |7.1-RELEASE |Extended|January 4, 2009 |January 31, 2011 | |-----------+------------+--------+-----------------+-----------------| |RELENG_7_2 |7.2-RELEASE |Normal |May 4, 2009 |June 30, 2010 | |-----------+------------+--------+-----------------+-----------------| |RELENG_7_3 |7.3-RELEASE |Extended|March 23, 2010 |March 31, 2012 | |-----------+------------+--------+-----------------+-----------------| |RELENG_8 |n/a |n/a |n/a |last release + 2y| |-----------+------------+--------+-----------------+-----------------| |RELENG_8_0 |8.0-RELEASE |Normal |November 25, 2009|November 30, 2010| |-----------+------------+--------+-----------------+-----------------| |RELENG_8_1 |8.1-RELEASE |Extended|not yet |release + 2 years| +---------------------------------------------------------------------+
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