From owner-freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.ORG Thu Sep 18 04:27:35 2008 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id BFD791065679; Thu, 18 Sep 2008 04:27:35 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from jrhett@netconsonance.com) Received: from mail.netconsonance.com (mail.netconsonance.com [198.207.204.4]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 9C9648FC13; Thu, 18 Sep 2008 04:27:35 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from jrhett@netconsonance.com) Received: from [172.16.12.8] (covad-jrhett.meer.net [209.157.140.144]) (authenticated bits=0) by mail.netconsonance.com (8.14.1/8.14.1) with ESMTP id m8I4PRrW017660; Wed, 17 Sep 2008 21:25:27 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from jrhett@netconsonance.com) X-Virus-Scanned: amavisd-new at netconsonance.com X-Spam-Flag: NO X-Spam-Score: -2.452 X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-2.452 tagged_above=-999 required=3.5 tests=[ALL_TRUSTED=-1.44, AWL=-1.012] Message-Id: <658B8861-1E78-4767-8D3D-8B79CC0BD45F@netconsonance.com> From: Jo Rhett To: Robert Watson In-Reply-To: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v928.1) Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2008 21:25:27 -0700 References: <1219409496.10487.22.camel@bauer.cse.buffalo.edu> <593618A3-56DA-4891-A4A0-690E9A9C5B32@netconsonance.com> <20080904133604.GB1188@atarininja.org> <47d0403c0809051319r3c82f87bhdb15ce5b0167987a@mail.gmail.com> <2742CAB1-8FF2-425D-A3B6-0658D7DB8F4D@netconsonance.com> <0C2C7E9B-61E3-4720-B76F-4745A3C963DA@netconsonance.com> X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.928.1) Cc: freebsd-stable , Wesley Shields , Nathan Way , Ben Kaduk Subject: Re: Upcoming Releases Schedule... X-BeenThere: freebsd-stable@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Production branch of FreeBSD source code List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2008 04:27:36 -0000 On Sep 17, 2008, at 4:33 PM, Robert Watson wrote: > An important factor is whether or not we consider the release a > highly maintainable release, and while we have intuitions at the > time of release, that's something we can only learn in the first > couple of months after it's in production. I don't know of any COTS > software house that really does it any differently I understand what you mean, but the statement is blatantly false as stated. Anyone selling software to the US Government *must* specify (or meet, depending) a minimum support period, and must also specify a cost the agency can pay to extend the support period. Not relevant to FreeBSD -- just qualifying the statement as it stands. For the obvious comparison, Solaris versions have well- published release and support periods, usually upwards of 8 years. Obviously they have more resources to do this, I'm just pointing out that the statement you made is incorrect as stated. > and I'm not sure you could do it differently -- no one plans to ship > a lemon, but once in a while you discover that things don't go as > planned. I am amazed at the preposterously large elephant in the room that none of you are willing to address. Watching each of you dance around it would be terribly funny if it didn't affect my job so badly. (and if I wasn't going to have to bail on FreeBSD and go to some crap form of Linux because the FreeBSD developers appear to be unwilling to consider the idea of getting more help) Your limitation is resources, right? You've calculated what you can support based on the resources you have, right? We are talking about ways to increase the resources available to you... right? So the math on which the conclusions are reached then changes. So lets figure out... what do the basis numbers need to be to change the support period? Obviously this is a bit of hand waving. These numbers are unlikely to be empirical. But try. Examine the concept of having increased resources. What do you need. How do you need it, to make a real change? Please stop avoiding even considering what people are offering to you. -- Jo Rhett Net Consonance : consonant endings by net philanthropy, open source and other randomness