On Mon, Mar 22, 2010 at 7:36 AM, Andreas Gerdd <kryptos...@gmail.com> wrote: > Hi, > > I've an OpenBSD 4.6-Stable system. I wanted to ask how long will > OBSD4.6 has patch/update support? > If there is a support time limit like lets say up to 12/24 months, > does it mean after that time, it will not get any update, not even > (possible) critical vulnerabilities? > > Kind regards.
"Support" means something special for OpenBSD. It means two things: fixing security bugs and answering questions about how a feature of a release works or can be invoked. That ends at 12 mos. There is no back-porting of features, and that end of support starts at the moment of release. In the "new features" (say a driver for new hardware) sense there is no support for any release after it's released. Ports/packages are sort of hit-or-miss. This is a very Spartan situation, and comes from a shortage of resources. In a sense, one achieves the level of support offered elsewhere by recognizing that the method of obtaining it is to always update versions. With OpenBSD, as others point out, this is very easy and usually very-very well debugged prior to the next release. Most OpenBSD "releases" would be termed incremental updates by other OSes. Nine times out of ten, an upgrade can be completed in ten minutes, and mass upgrading of a "farm" not much longer for the whole farm. One advantage of the Open system is that one knows where one stands, and there is no in-system forking of releases, a problem which makes certain other *n*x systems or "distros" a crazy mess. Open is like a single-track railroad, there are breathing points called "stations", where one gets on or off, and after a year the old track is ripped up and recycled. The fare is $100/year but hoboes are still welcome. Dave -- teh googlez read my emails 'n' STUFF!!!! LOLZ!!! urz 2!!! LOLZ!!!
