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Date:      Sun, 20 Apr 1997 22:48:49 -0700
From:      "Jordan K. Hubbard" <jkh@time.cdrom.com>
To:        Richard Wackerbarth <rkw@dataplex.net>
Cc:        "Jay D. Nelson" <jdn@qiv.com>, Masaya Kinoshita <mkino@po.iijnet.or.jp>, stable@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: Is there a perceived need for a 2.1.8 release? 
Message-ID:  <18464.861601729@time.cdrom.com>
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Sun, 20 Apr 1997 22:21:19 CDT." <l03102804af808a70d646@[208.2.87.4]> 

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> Again, let me suggest that a periodic release set which has the archive of
> all the presently supported versions would be easier to sell to management.

One problem with this - if I'm genuinely making it a "best of all
branches" CD then I get into the issue of supporting the relevant port
and package set for each or I've greatly diminished the value of the
offering for what people are obviously going to use it for - the most
"definitive" release CD they own.  By contrast, if I have a
semi-stable snapshot which is also going to be rendered obsolete in
3-4 months by the next snapshot then I don't expect the CD to have
much of a shelf-life and I don't have to sweat even a full packages
collection (though now that I've gone to two CDs, I can).  It's just a
developer's snapshot with limited utility and nobody's going to expect
all the bells and whistles.

Now, however, let's say I've done a nifty 2.1.8 / 2.2.5 combo CDROM.
Most people know that major point releases only happen once every 6
months or so, and that 2.1.8 release might even be the *last* -stable
release for all we know (nobody's going to promise that, obviously,
but it's always an increasing possibility for a branch that old), so
now we're talking about a CD that's going to sit on a lot of shelves
for awhile.  It's the installer's definitive 2.1-stable CD and it's
probably also the primary 2.2 installation CD for at least 4-5 more
months.  I'm going to get away with not making a packages collection
for each?  Not hardly!  I would be lynched! :-)

So that means a 4 CD set and every time I bring this up with Walnut
Creek CDROM they cringe, so I haven't the heart.  I still think it's
inevitable, however, and when the day comes that I talk them into it
then I'llcertainly very seriously consider a mondo CD with
last-release bits for all major branches, a CVS tree, packages for
each branch and possibly even the last two major XFree86
distributions.  I could do a lot with 4 CDs. :-)

					Jordan



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