In response to a query concerning Ubuntu LTS:
Neither AskUbuntu nor Ubuntuforums is "monitored by Canonical employed
professionals". This is community support. We are volunteers. If you
want to talk to Canonical-employed engineers, you must pay for Ubuntu
Advantage.
End excerpt.
Although this list has much "volunteer" community support, and many of
whom in the "community" are computer professionals, there also have been
responses by Fermilab (and CERN?) "employed professionals" that
presumably will end with the coming announced demise of SL. To
participate in this SL list, one did not have to a member or employee of
an institution in a Fermilab or CERN research collaboration. I also
understand the difference between non-profit research facilities and
efforts such as in HEP (Fermilab and CERN) and a for-profit entity such
as IBM RH or Canonical. My understanding is that the Princeton distro
also had some Princeton "employed professionals" who monitored/answered
certain questions on what is now Springdale. Ubuntu Advantage terms,
conditions, and USA dollar pricing is at:
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__ubuntu.com_legal_ubuntu-2Dadvantage-2Dservice-2Ddescription&d=DwICaQ&c=gRgGjJ3BkIsb5y6s49QqsA&r=gd8BzeSQcySVxr0gDWSEbN-P-pgDXkdyCtaMqdCgPPdW1cyL5RIpaIYrCn8C5x2A&m=oSQ1suFchjInBo9ezZu2_0-F8UELIntP1s4Pq0UOa8M&s=Y6pYRJW9Zr-JGrUp--Q5-549NnrL8VV1jtZ2eF7Xi-4&e=
with the least expensive, for desktop (e.g., laptop) use, that appears
to be $25 per year, and the most expensive, for a physical server with
various forms of near real-time operating systems and functionality
software support and servicing, is $1,500 . I am posting this to the SL
list for those considering Ubuntu LTS as an alternative. IBM RH, SuSE,
and Oracle have their own price lists. To the best of my knowledge,
because Fermilab/CERN are not for profit entities but instead involved
in basic research for the human good (not return on investment to
shareholders and other financial entities), the rough equivalent of the
$25 per year "support" through this SL list was at no cost to the SL
list subscribers. Fermilab (and CERN and possibly other HEP employed
computer professionals?) provided answers on occasion (or fixed the
distro downloads site, etc.) without charge -- although most of the
material on the SL list is from "community volunteers".
