> bad
> idea to use it as a production server. You may disagree, but I'm not
> willing
> to bet my job and my business on an unsupported platform. Personal use
> is
> not the same as commercial use.
>
What is an unsupported platform anyway? Ever tried to get support from
Microsoft for Windows? Ever found a bug in Windows and demanded that
Microsoft fix it? There are plenty of companies that specialize in
supporting platforms whether they be Windows, Solaris, or Linux, so its
not like you can't get support if you want it even if you stay on Red
Hat. Further, some of these organizations will even fix bugs in Linux
for you if needed. Try and get that level of support with any other
platform.
IMHO, the way to go is to bet on superior technology instead of
superior marketing. I'll take a "unsupported" mature stable platform
over a "supported" hole-ridden platform any day.
> This is exactly my point, however I'm not sure I agree with your
> security
> issues statement. I'm more inclined to argue that the need to
> constantly
> update my server to stay in line with supported platforms is just a
> pain in
> the a** and increases the risk of incompatibility with my critical
> software
> applications. Red Hat *used* to have a moderate release cycle back in
> the
> 7.x days and earlier, but then hit hyperdrive when they decided to
> developer
> their Enterprise line and turn their regular Linux line into a more
> desktop-oriented product, where the demand for the latest and greatest
> features is much higher.
>
You don't have to upgrade your version of Red Hat to get bug fixes and
security patches. The community releases updated RPMs very quickly for
all combinations of kernel and glibc iterations. Further, there are
services that allow for automatic updates of you installation if that
is desirable.
> However, I was noting in my initial post that it was a shame that the
> Enterprise version of Red Hat is now cost-prohibitive for certain
> shops that
> are on a low budget. Further, with the Novell acquisition of SUSE,
> costs for
> running Linux in a commercial shop could rise significantly (pure
> speculation on my part). This seems to go completely counter to the
> whole
> popularity of Linux to begin with: reliable, yet free (at least, as
> far as
> the initial purchase, not the admin costs).
>
Linux is popular for many reasons and Red Hat's decisions won't affect
that as Linux exists outside of Red Hat. There will always be
distributions that are free as in beer.
Matt Liotta
President & CEO
Montara Software, Inc.
http://www.MontaraSoftware.com
(888) 408-0900 x901
[Todays Threads] [This Message] [Subscription] [Fast Unsubscribe] [User Settings]
