Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:02:29 +0000 From: Tom Evans <tevans.uk@googlemail.com> To: Ivan Voras <ivoras@freebsd.org> Cc: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org Subject: Re: FreeBSD has serious problems with focus, longevity, and lifecycle Message-ID: <CAFHbX1%2Bi3JwCCBmqtOsW6m74VpDBSAmBOt7CPcCGAPCO2DBDkA@mail.gmail.com> In-Reply-To: <jf3mps$is3$1@dough.gmane.org> References: <alpine.BSF.2.00.1112211415580.19710@kozubik.com> <jf3mps$is3$1@dough.gmane.org>
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On Tue, Jan 17, 2012 at 11:41 AM, Ivan Voras <ivoras@freebsd.org> wrote: > I've concluded very early that because of what I've said above, the only = way > to run FreeBSD effectively is to track -STABLE. The developers MFC-ing st= uff > usually try hard not to break things so -STABLE has become a sort of > "running RELEASE" branch. Since -STABLE is so ... stable ..., there is le= ss > and less incentive to make proper releases (though I think nobody would m= ind > it happening). > > The next question is: what do releases from a -STABLE branch bring in tha= t > simply tracking the original -STABLE tree doesn't? Lately, not very much. Sorry to just pick out bits of your email Ivan=E2=80=A6 Ability to use freebsd-update. It would be better to have more frequent releases. As a prime example, ZFS became much more stable about 3 months after 8.2 was released. If you were waiting for an 8.x release that supported that improved version of ZFS, you are still waiting. You say that snapshots of STABLE are stable and effectively a running release branch, so why can't more releases be made? Is the release process too complex for minor revisions, could that be improved to make it easier to have more releases, eg by not bundling ports packages? Can it really be that the best advice for users is to run their own build infrastructure and make their own releases? I really don't want to come across as someone throwing their toys out and saying that unless everything changes I'm off to Linux-land, however there is mutterings at $JOB that too much time is spent massaging FreeBSD and that using Linux would be significantly easier to manage. Cheers Tom
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