Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:52:34 -0900 From: Royce Williams <royce.williams@gmail.com> To: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org Subject: Re: FreeBSD has serious problems with focus, longevity, and lifecycle Message-ID: <CA%2BE3k91mVQx1xV1cEZN9E09rhBetNrVEwxgZp_4dFgBVu9EhHw@mail.gmail.com> In-Reply-To: <CAOjFWZ5tgi4dc3uR--%2BetJ1osSmE0kZPpUMx87MdTaj2HjL_VQ@mail.gmail.com> References: <alpine.BSF.2.00.1112211415580.19710@kozubik.com> <CAOjFWZ5tgi4dc3uR--%2BetJ1osSmE0kZPpUMx87MdTaj2HjL_VQ@mail.gmail.com>
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John's trying to manage risk. =A0Switching from RELEASE to CURRENT adds a lot of risk and churn, when most folks in this class of use case just need a few very specific drivers and bugfixes (what some OSes call "hotfixes".) John sounds willing to trade a little bit of local risk (and testing time) in exchange for a way to self-serve a hotfix without abandoning RELEASE. =A0How can we enable that? There are simple cases -- the ones that just need a few files and a kernel module -- that seem within easy reach. =A0For example, the eRacks guys generated these handy binaries for mps(4) for 7.4, 8.0, 8.1 and 8.2: http://blog.eracks.com/2011/08/lsi-logic-6gbps-mps-driver-for-freebsd-8-2-r= elease/ For me, this was perfect: I got to have my cake (tracking 8.1-RELEASE, and using freebsd-update) and eat it too (support for specific newer hardware). =A0If security updates break my mps(4), I'm on my own -- but it's still a much better balance of risk for me than switching to CURRENT. I know that some fixes are harder than just adding a kernel module. =A0I know that the standards for releasing errata are high, and they should be. =A0But I wish there was a way to optionally lower that threshold and say: "Yes, I know this might eat my data. =A0Let me judge and test that for myself without otherwise abandoning RELEASE." =A0If there was a way to mark hotfixes as "worked for me" (to let the better ones bubble up to the top), we non-coders could even help manage the list. I can't do it myself, but I would happily help brainstorm, test =A0-- and commit $100 or more, Kickstarter-style, to fund someone else's work. Royce
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