[CLUE-Tech] Red Hat Ending Support (Long, but very pertinent and an enjoyable read - really, I wouldn't kid you....)

[Dave Hahn]

Mike Staver wrote:

> With Red Hat Ending Support for some of their previous versions, and 
> soon to be 9:
>
> http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/archives/
>
RedHat is moving away from the RedHat Personal Boxed Edition of their 
distribution.  The new versions, RedHat Enterprise (Workstation, Server, 
etc) and Fedora Core are based the on previous versions of RedHat.  The 
decision was made in order to seperate the personal/no-pay-for-support 
version and their enterprise/pay-for-support versions.  However, in the 
explanation of Fedora Core to the world, RedHat meant the renaming of 
the personal version to Fedora Core to:

    * Show that it was a more disparate product from the enterprise
      versions as a matter of technology - the newer stuff would be put
      into Fedora first (new kernels, new package versions, etc) and
      Fedora will have a more aggressive release schedule (every 4-6 months)
    * Set apart the enterprise version for users that (1) wanted to have
      paid support from the manufacturer and (2) wanted a longer release
      cycle to avoid the upgrade crunches

Unfortunately, they failed miserably to reach this goal and instead 
communicated that the personal version was dead and Enterprise was the 
only RedHat product - not the intention.

It is important to understand that:

    * Although Fedora Core has more direct input from the community then
      previous versions, it is still an active RedHat product - RedHat
      hosts the servers, RedHat uses Fedora as a testing ground for what
      will eventually end up in the Enterprise versions and RedHat still
      pays employees to work on Fedora Core.  As an example, look at the
      FC lists, not only are they as active, if not more so then the
      previous RedHat lists, RedHat employees actively contribute to the
      conversations as well as the code base.
    * RedHat has really done nothing more then look at how other
      distributions behave and have created RedHat products with those
      advantages while keeping the products RedHat-ish.  Examples:
          o Debian Stable - The Debian stable version is considered by
            many to be "behind the curve" as the Linux world rotates. 
            However, the goal of the distribution is to maintain a *very
            stable* and very secure distribution by keeping behind the
            curve and staying with established software versions and
            waiting for the later version to more fully complete the
            development cycle before becoming part of the stable tree.
          o Lindows, Knoppix, Progeny, and other Debian based
            distributions - Other people seeing the advantages of Debian
            wanted to create a stable distribution with newer software
            and "a better face forward" then was shown by the standard
            Debian stable distribution. 
          o Mandrake - The Mandrake team is always adding the newest
            bits and pieces to the Cooker and bringing them out in their
            version rather quickly.  This makes Mandrake an exciting
            distribution to use because the new stuff is always just
            around the corner.  However, the common criticism is that,
            at times, some stability or interoperatbility is traded for
            the new stuff.  In answer, Mandrake stated creating
            sub-distributions, such as their Firewall, that focused more
            stability and special use then does the main distribution.
          o Gentoo - Gentoo is about performance and tweakage.  However,
            it is not for the faint of heart and their goal is not to
            reach those people.  A few examples - the "installer" is a
            text file, every package requires compilation and an
            understanding of how compiles, development and libraries
            work together.
          o WhiteBoxLinux and TaoLinux - Build from the source RPMS that
            are used to make RedHat Enterprise Linux.
          o Suport Organizations - Groups outside RedHat have said they
            will continue to upgrade 7.3 - 9 with new code and packages
    * What is important to note is that none of these distributors are
      wrong - their goals are different.  Previously at RedHat, the
      attempt always was to make a distribution that would attempt to
      fit as many of these needs as possible:
          o New enough to have some of the newer sexy features without
            compromising statbility
          o A blend of packages and system design that could be
            applicable to the workstation as well as the server and the
            cluster environment
          o Try to reach the developer, the user and the newbie
          o In short, be everything to everybody.
    * This approach brought them rather far down road, however, the hand
      writing was on the wall - the needed to not just grow toward the
      needs of these different groups - they needed to meet and exceed
      them.  In order to do so, a split of the product line and the
      RedHat way of doing things was required.
          o Fedora Core - Merge the RH9 Personal product with one or
            more the "Non-RedHat RPM Repositories" and include the
            developers that, in creating these additional RedHat
            packages, have proven to understand the product as well as
            the needs of the users.  Blend RedHat with the community and
            allow the community more time in the dirver's seat of the
            product.
          o Enterprise - Allow organizations that want a longer life
            product as well as a "manufacturer" to purchase products and
            support that fulfilled their needs.  Essentially, RedHat was
            commiting more to their products - from a contractual and
            liability standpoint, then they had previously.

So, in function, was does this mean?

    * Fedora Core 1 - Still a RedHat product with more community
      support.  No more boxed versions to be sold.  However, in it's
      technical essence, it is RedHat 10.  Fedora Cora 2 (FC2) is in
      testing and will likely be released in April.  In following the
      RedHat guide to version numbers (i.e. anything that may break
      binary or other large compatibility items - major number change -
      if not, minor number change) FC2 will be somewhat equivalent to
      RedHat 11 - new kernel, change in glibc (some although not
      enormous), etc.
    * RedHat Enterprise - A product supported by RedHat, contractually,
      with more guarantees for stability over the long haul. 
      Additionally, it gives a place for more "certifiable" versions of
      software - i.e. Oracle, DB2, etc - on a platform that will not
      undergo large changes for a longer abount of time.  (Estimated
      release of RHEL4 is 18-24 months after RHEL3 with a longer
      update/maintenance life for RHEL3.

How does one choose?

    * If having someone to call in the middle of the night to get things
      back up and running again is paramount - use RHEL - pay for the
      time and expertise of the RedHat development team.
    * If you used RedHat Personal (the download version or the ~ $39.99
      store bought version) upgrade to Fedora Core.  As it is really
      much like something between 9.1 and 10, it will feel and function
      like a regular RedHat upgrade.  (*Big Side Note* - Previous
      versions of RedHat did not upgrade particularly well.  However,
      upgrading from RH8 or RH9 to Fedora Cora is relatively painless
      and very safe - I've done about 20-30 or so myself.  Evern remote
      machines - install yum, take care of a few dependencies and them
      'yum upgrade'.  Once done a nice, new Fedora Core 1 box was ready
      to go.  I've done as far back as a RH6.1 machine *without* a
      format and re-install.  However, it takes a level of commitment
      that makes a backup and reinstall look like a much better idea.)
    * Distribution Change - I think, over the last 10 years or so, I've
      tried just about every major distribution and many of the minor
      ones (what can say - I like this stuff).  Each one has merits that
      make it a valid choice.  However, the change from RedHat to Fedora
      Core is an easier change then from RedHat to
      SuSE/Mandrake/Debian/Gentoo/LFS/Rock/You-Favorite-Distribution-Here. 
      Therefore, for a lot of people, the move to Fedora Core is easy -
      RedHat's explanation of FC was the problem - not the product.

As a money where you mouth is - I write this from my FC1 machine, 
sending it through a RH9 machine that will be soon replaced by a 
fail-over FC1 based e-mail pod, it will be virus and spam scanned by a 
RH9 machine that is also slated for upgrade.  The DNS servers used are 
FC1 with a custom MyDNS package and BIND as a recursive lookup helper.  
The firewalls traversed are RH9 and FC1 machines.  On the other 
partitions of my machine live SuSE 9, Debian unstable, an LFS build, 
Gentoo and it's portage friends as well as Mandrake Cooker, slackware 9 
and a Knoppix HD installation that almost worked.  I use each but I live 
most the time in my FC1 partition. Perhaps its comfort from using RH 
since 3.0.3 or habit - not sure which but that's where it stands.

As a side note - we typically have copies of many distributions at our 
office at I-70 and Tower and are happy to make copies for people.

Overall - distribution selection must be made with an understanding of 
the goal of the distribution - if it matches your goals you will be a 
much happier user; if not, you will spend time and money finding reasons 
to move to other distributions.

"And thank you for reading this dave rave"

-d