Re: RedHat support changes

• To: ldm-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, person@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Subject: Re: RedHat support changes
• From: "Bryan G. White" <bgwhite@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Date: Tue, 4 Nov 2003 15:09:42 -0700 (MST)

Not exactly true.

Redhat is dropping support for Redhat 8.0 on Dec 31st and dropping
support for Redhat 9.0 at the end of April.  This has been known
for awhile.  Other linux distributions have also started putting a
time limit on how long they will be supporting their distributions...
For example, isn't Mandrake having 18months of support?

What was known as RedHat Linux has now been rebranded as Fedora
Linux.  Only the Enterprise version will carry the RedHat
name.   Fedora linux will still be "controlled" by Redhat, but
they are trying more of a Debian model... sort of a community-based
project.  

Fedora Linux version 1.0 should be released this week.  It's
essentially Redhat 9.1.  I have been testing the test releases that
have been comming out and it's still the same old Redhat. 

Bug-fixes, security updates and other updates still will be made
available thru fedora and other third-parties.  Ximian has said
Red-Carpet will still be supported on Fedora and RedHat Enterprise
(but with Novell buying Ximian and Suse, that might change).


This could be a good change:
1)  Redhat still will have control over fedora (alot of Redhat employees
    are on the "steering committee"). 
2)  More third party programs will now be available.  Fedora Linux
    is sort of a merger between RedHat and Fedora.  Fedora was a
    3rd party community project that supplied 3rd party programs.  It
    was started by some Univ. of Hawaii students.  
    Hey... some warped person could be the 3rd party maintainer for
    the inclusion of Gempak into Fedora. :)
3)  Hopefully longer-term support for updates.  


As Fedora 1.0 is just Redhat 9.1, I'm taking a wait and see approach.


For more info and to download a copy of Fedora:
http://fedora.redhat.com

Old 3rd party Fedora web site:
http://www.fedora.us


Bryan


> Hi...
> 
> It was brought to my attention today that RedHat is apparently dropping
> support for it's free versions of Linux.  This leaves us (and I'm sure
> many of you) in a quandary as to what to do.  The options appear to be
> either to buy support (which apparently will be $150 per desktop, more for
> servers) or switch to another vendor.
> 
> We will probably be forced to switch to another vendor, at least for 
> many of our desktops, because of the costs involved.  I'd be interested in 
> any opinions anyone has as to preferences for other Linux distributions 
> and why.  Also, are there any gotcha's with the other distro's as far as 
> running the LDM and gempak are concerned?
> 
>                                     Thanks.
> 
>                                       Art.
> -- 
> Arthur A. Person
> Research Assistant, System Administrator
> Penn State Department of Meteorology
> email:  person@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, phone:  814-863-1563
> 
>From owner-ldm-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 04 2003 Nov -0500 17:12:55 
Date: 04 Nov 2003 17:12:55 -0500
From: Dan Vietor <devo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
In-Reply-To: <Pine.LNX.4.44.0311041607120.21378-100000@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Arthur A. Person" <person@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: RedHat support changes
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On Tue, 2003-11-04 at 16:19, Arthur A. Person wrote:
> Hi...
> 
> It was brought to my attention today that RedHat is apparently dropping
> support for it's free versions of Linux.  This leaves us (and I'm sure
> many of you) in a quandary as to what to do.  The options appear to be
> either to buy support (which apparently will be $150 per desktop, more for
> servers) or switch to another vendor.
> 
> We will probably be forced to switch to another vendor, at least for 
> many of our desktops, because of the costs involved.  I'd be interested in 
> any opinions anyone has as to preferences for other Linux distributions 
> and why.  Also, are there any gotcha's with the other distro's as far as 
> running the LDM and gempak are concerned?

This does concern me in terms of the direction Red Hat is going. 
According to the email I got, Red Hat 9 is the last version Red Hat is
going to release and support for it will end on April 30, 2004.

It looks like Red Hat is trying to get everyone to move to Red Hat
Enterprise.  The new equivalent looks to be Enterprise Linux WS which
will cost $179 for basic (no CD, download only, no support, 1 year of
updates) or $299 for standard edition (CD at no charge, web support,
etc).  My only problem with Enterprise is that it will be more like
Solaris.  In other words, major updates will occur, not every 6 month,
but more like every 2 years with intermediate bug and security fixes. 
Enterprise 3.0 is essentially Red Hat 9 and probably will be for a
couple of years.  Also, WS will only have Apache, Samba and NFS on the
server side.  If you want server programs like FTP, IMAP, DHCP, YP, etc
you will have to move to Enterprise Linux ES which will cost $349 for
Basic (no CD, no support) or $799 for Standard.  

I'm also not quite sure where Fedora is going.  It looks like this will
be a download only with very limited support and documentation.  Since
Fedora seems to be a Red Hat light (limited Red Hat financial backing
but mostly community developed, tested and supported), it might be more
difficult to use it in a operational environment.

I guess as long as RH 9 continues to run here, I'll stick with it.  I
wonder how Novell buying out Suse is going to change that product?? 
Also, it might not be a bad idea to try out other Linux releases such as
Slackware.

-- 
Dan Vietor <devo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Unisys