[CentOS-devel] CentOS 7 and release numbering

[Ned Slider]

On 21/06/14 17:56, Johnny Hughes wrote:
> On 06/21/2014 08:49 AM, Ljubomir Ljubojevic wrote:
>>>
>>>
>> Just to emphasize, people want COMPATIBILITY with RHEL, that is why we
>> use it. If there will be no PERCEIVED compatibility, people will start
>> waling away from CentOS. As simple as that.
>
> And the CentOS goal is full functional compatibility.
>

Johnny, I'm sorry to keep on at you, but this phrasing is another thing 
that bothers me.

For the last however many years (~10 years?) the CentOS Project has 
always stated the goal is "100% binary compatibility". Now the change to 
"full functional compatibility". It's not the same thing. Again, to me 
all these things just send a signal of trying to dilute the direct 
relationship that exists between CentOS and RHEL.

Some may see this as nitpicking, but I'm concerned that the primary 
stated goal for the last however many years has completely disappeared 
from all official CentOS sites. Searching the Wiki now only finds 
references to the phrase "100% binary compatibility" in archived release 
notes and the main website makes absolutely no mention of RHEL nor the 
relationship between the two distributions.

Why would the CentOS Project stop using the phrase "100% binary 
compatibility"? Have folks at Red Hat asked you not to use that phrase 
any more? Do you still aim for "100% binary compatibility"? If not, 
that's fine but lets get that fact out there so we all know where we 
stand. If so, then lets say it as it's a really clear indication of what 
CentOS aims to be - a 100% binary compatible clone of RHEL. Lets get it 
on the front page of the website and the Wiki so folks know exactly what 
they are buying into.


> We do now have and will continue to have that.
>
> Changing a number in the name does not impact that at all ... it just
> means we are trying to better describe what CentOS is.
>