Skip site navigation (1)Skip section navigation (2)
Date:      Wed, 11 Apr 2001 12:36:57 -0700 (PDT)
From:      Roger Marquis <marquis@roble.com>
To:        security@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: Security Announcements & Incremental Patches
Message-ID:  <Pine.BSF.4.21.0104111214510.52823-100000@roble.com>
In-Reply-To: <bulk.49307.20010411114848@hub.freebsd.org>

next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
Scott Johnson wrote:
> There is a difference between security fixes and a 'more low-key and
> conservative set of changes intended for our next mainstream release'. 

I think this is a point many posters are missing.  Production
systems administration has to be conservative.  A good systems
administrator would *NEVER* run cvsup or -STABLE on a revenue
generating production server for example.  Change deltas must be
kept to a minimum to minimize the risk of downtime or application
problems.

> I just want to add my voice as to how I use FreeBSD. Simply saying 'use
> - -STABLE' to those of us running -RELEASE on production systems isn't
> appropriate, 

Agreed.  It might be worthwhile to point out that Linux is gaining
market share by leaps and bounds while FreeBSD's user base remains
relatively stagnant for *exactly* this reason.

This is all IMHO.  Perhaps I'm just spoiled by Solaris' patch
process.  Yet we have seen a significant increase in Sun purchases
thanks to their Blade 100 and it's $1000 price (headless).  The
FreeBSD community has to make the choice:  do you want to FreeBSD
to be a great developer's OS and an also-ran production platform
(Dag-Erling Smorgrav's "submit patches or shut up") or would it be
better in the long term to shift some resources (like incremental
security patches) in order to boost market share?

-- 
Roger Marquis
Roble Systems Consulting
http://www.roble.com/


To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org
with "unsubscribe freebsd-security" in the body of the message




Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?Pine.BSF.4.21.0104111214510.52823-100000>