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<p class=MsoNormal>Dear All,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>If someone asks a question such as “When is Centos 5.4
coming out” bare in mind that it may be because they genuinely want to
know when it’s coming out, and feel that somehow, they have not been privy
to that information. To me, I see CentOS as a polished professional product
given what it is, a repackaging of RHEL, and to that end I have the expectation
of a fully fledged professional product, which includes static release dates.
(I know it’s not always possible, so please, no flames)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>I say this with love, and all the maturity that goes with
it, “I can’t WAIT for CentOS 5.4!!!” but at least I have the luxury
of understanding the process which prevents 5.4 from coming out on a particular
day. The owners of 600 or so servers out there which I look after, like
to believe they are techie people, because they can use Google, and they can
read a few articles that say Centos 5.4 on the way. I get very regular emails
asking why there server is still on centos 5.2, and I have to explain, if it’s
not broke, I'm not fixing it!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>On TV, when you watch a commercial that tells you of the
latest blockbuster movie – there is a date attached. The next butt
kicking FPS for Xbox 360... has a release date. So many products that have a “limited”
life span (iPods, games consoles, mobile phones, books, songs) are planned with
a “static” release date, and if that date is missed, bad press is
almost a guarantee!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>The point I'm making, is that people have become used to
knowing when things will happen. (I believe this is illustrated in the number
of people fascinated with Flash Forward! Google is your friend). So, give them
a break – and the idiots that insult other people who obviously do not
understand how things work need to instead take the time, and understand that
the internet is no longer the domain/hangout of the technically savvy. Even Linux
is no longer the realm of only the technical geniuses, (although there are a
lot of us!)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>When someone asked “When will *<b>CentOS 5.4 come
out??</b>* The answer is, “When it is good and ready”, and when
they ask “Why/What does that mean?”, ask them to Google “<b>open
source distribution release cycle</b>”. That should keep them busy for
long enough for me/you to actually get some work done <span style='font-family:
Wingdings'>J</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>---<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>Kind Regards,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>Mr Gabriel<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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