On Tue, 04 Nov 2003 09:24:37 +1300 Jaco Swart <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> (forwarded message below rant) > > <rant> > > So RedHat will discontinue all RH versions and stick with enterprise versions. > To me, this sounds very Redmondish, down to the wording they used to tell me > I'll have to start paying through my ears now. But being a Red Hat user, I > don't know if I should laugh or cry... > > Bloody pirates turned corsairs, in my opinion. It reminds me of this > conversation: > Me: "why won't my virus scanner update itself any more?" > Symantec: "we don't support NT any more" > Me: "so what should I do?" > Symantec: "buy Norton AV for Win2k or for XP" > Me: "will it run on NT" > Symantec: "no" > Me: "So what you're saying is, I should buy a new Windows too, just to be able > to sun your AV software?" > Symantec: "yes" > Me: "you idiots!" > > Prologue 1: And so I went forth to buy F-Prot, which has a DOS version, a 16- > bit Win version and a 32-bit Win version. And it runs fine on NT. And it picks > the odd virus that Xtra misses, too. Oh yes, their Linux version is free for > private use. > www.freeav.com is the free for personal use scanner from hbedv.com. seems to work from 98 upwards (I have installed it on 98, w2k and xp. there is also a free linux version that automatically updates itself. it is not "free" as in speech, but it is "free" as in beer, for non-commercial use. > Prologue 2: And so, after a few months, I went forth and installed Linux free > of charge on my new PC. But the Linux I choose, was Red Hat... > So - which distro is still in the hands of geeks, not a set of wannabe-rich- > kids? > debian, slackware, gentoo, mandrake is a corporate, but a strong user/developer base it seems. mandrake is also quite easy to get used to after redhat, most files are in the same places, and rpm is used 9although with a better front end - urpmi). I am not wanting to start a distro war here, but just pointing out alternatives. also before volker jumpsd me for omitting it, suse is good too, good number of apps, good installer, rpm based, but they are not in the hands of geeks, ie another corporate. despite many falling off their perches in the last wee while, theres still plenty of distros mentioned at http://www.distrowatch.com . also you might like to try looking at fedora, its kind of a redhat offfshoot/community project, i suppose it might be seen as a redhat fork - I suspect that the cost of providing a completely free linux for the masses is too large, so push all the freebie downloaders off to a community/debianlike alternative, and keep the payers on the books with redhat enterprise. Although the prospect of less direct support for freeloaders like me & you is a little disappointing, I still think we have a lot to thank redhat for in terms of development, and linux "awareness". Think of all the stuff they have developed or sponsored that are still in the community - rpm (love it or hate it linux would not be where it is today if we all had to untar files and manually set up our own programs), cygwin, there will also be numerous tweaks and patches to all sorts of software thanks to redhat and its developers. doesn't everyone say "oh yes of course you can make money from open source, businesses need support" - thats what RH are doing. good on them! > </rant> > > ------- Forwarded message follows ------- > Date sent: Mon, 3 Nov 2003 14:44:25 -0500 > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > From: Red Hat Network <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Red Hat Linux end-of-life update and transition planning > Send reply to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > Dear 221bBakerStreet, > > Thank you for being a Red Hat Network customer. > > This e-mail provides you with important information about the upcoming > discontinuation of Red Hat Linux, and resources to assist you with your > migration to another Red Hat solution. > > As previously communicated, Red Hat will discontinue maintenance and > errata support for Red Hat Linux 7.1, 7.2, 7.3 and 8.0 as of December > 31, 2003. Red Hat will discontinue maintenance and errata support for > Red Hat Linux 9 as of April 30, 2004. Red Hat does not plan to release > another product in the Red Hat Linux line. > > With the recent announcement of Red Hat Enterprise Linux v.3, you'll > find migrating to Enterprise Linux appealing. We understand > that transitioning to another Red Hat solution requires careful planning > and implementation. We have created a migration plan for Red Hat Network > customers to help make the transition as simple and seamless as > possible. Details: > > **************** > If you purchase Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS or ES Basic before February > 28, 2004, you will receive 50% off the price for two years.[*] (That's two > years for the price of one.) > > **************** > In addition, we have created a Red Hat Linux Migration Resource Center > to address your migration planning and other questions, such as: > > * What are best practices for implementing the migration to Red Hat > Enterprise Linux? > > * Are there other migration alternatives? > > * How do I purchase Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS or ES Basic at the price > above? > > * What if my paid subscription to RHN extends past April 30, 2004? > > **************** > > Find out more about your migration options with product comparisons, > whitepapers and documentation at the Red Hat Linux Migration Resource > Center: > > http://www.redhat.com/solutions/migration/rhl/rhn > > > Or read the FAQ written especially for Red Hat Network customers: > > https://rhn.redhat.com/help/rhlmigrationfaq/ > > Sincerely, > > Red Hat, Inc. > > > [*] Limit 10 units. Higher volume purchase inquiries should contact a > regional Red Hat sales representative. Contact numbers available at > http://www.redhat.com/solutions/migration/rhl/rhn > > --the Red Hat Network Team > > Account Information: > Your RHN login: 221bBakerStreet > Your RHN email address: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > ------- End of forwarded message ------- > -- Nick Rout <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
