Date: Tue, 12 Apr 2022 15:44:50 +0200 From: Tomek CEDRO <tomek@cedro.info> To: iio7@tutanota.com Cc: Freebsd Questions <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>, "Steve O'Hara-Smith" <steve@sohara.org> Subject: Re: Why do we have to wait for the next release for bug fixes? Message-ID: <CAFYkXj=14FnXf392riP1NuwsU03FX2K_LNrHR4s4Ngc08nXZnA@mail.gmail.com> In-Reply-To: <20220412061100.cd71c9815f90ad3c9f7802d0@sohara.org> References: <N-R0gZ---3-2@tutanota.com> <20220412061100.cd71c9815f90ad3c9f7802d0@sohara.org>
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On Tue, Apr 12, 2022 at 7:12 AM Steve O'Hara-Smith <steve@sohara.org> wrote: > On Tue, 12 Apr 2022 06:27:28 +0200 (CEST) > iio7@tutanota.com wrote: > > Why are all bug fixes not errata'd so that users can update their systems > > with freebsd-update without having to manually patch the kernel or > > wait until next release of RELEASE, which can be quite a long wait. > > Every code change brings risk, releases are expected to be stable > and reliable. These two facts drive the very common policy of being careful > about what changes are permitted on release branches - security and > important (..) > With FreeBSD development and bug fixing occurs in -current (..) > The result is a set of choices depending on your needs. > Production systems with strong reliability requirements should use > releases and freebsd-update. This is because releases receive extensive > testing and stabilisation (betas, RCs ...) to eliminate as many bugs as > possible. (..) > For early access to next release fixes and features you can compile > the stable branch - this is a constantly moving target in the source > repository, changes are limited, testing is minimal, slippery when wet > YMMMV. > For early access to the next main branch you can compile -current - > changes are unlimited, all the rest applies even more so. Exactly :-) We just have different organization here (than you may know from Linux). BSD puts rock solid stability and long term maintenance in the first place. Enforced changes are not really welcome here. You get a generic OS with a standardized environment that you may customize for various applications (i.e. network, workstation, embedded). Also you have a choice between RELEASE as rock solid solution with safe binary updates, STABLE as well tested moving solution that you need to update yourself from the sources (usually only kernel), or CURRENT as "bleeding edge" code with all new exciting features that may change/break that you also need to update on your own from the sources. https://docs.freebsd.org/en/books/faq/ -- CeDeROM, SQ7MHZ, http://www.tomek.cedro.info
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