[csw-users] Why support Solaris 8 onwards?

[Dennis Clarke]

> On 20/09/07, 16:37:00, Torrey McMahon <tmcmahon2 at yahoo.com> wrote regarding
> Re: [csw-users] Why support Solaris 8 onwards?:
>
>> >>> http://www.sun.com/service/eosl/solaris/solaris_vintage_eol_5.2005.xml
>> >>>
>> >> 2009-03-31 looks like end of support to me.
>> >>
>> >> Phase 2 to us might mean keeping the archive on the mirrors but
>> >> not updating, "access to existing".
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>> > Solaris 8 End Of Service Life is 03/31/12
>> >
>
>> I would assert that Sun has more resources in the support space then
>> Blastwave does and that aligning with the Sun support documents isn't
>> the best thing to do.  Do we really want to maintain Solaris 8 packages
>> for an other 4+ years?

That has no bearing here at all.  If I choose to compile gzip on Solaris 8,
and I do just that, then I am happy to report that it builds and passes all
tests and I can even optimize it a bit. It can be released for any Solaris
revisoion from 8 upwards.

If some other package is murder to compile on Solaris 8, for whatever
reasons, then it makes sense to just move over to Solaris 10 Update 4 and
make a release for that Solaris only.  Maybe. Depends on the situation.

This has nothing to do at all with Sun's resources or the resources here at
Blastwave.

> 2009-03-31 - today => 1 1/2 years
>
> Sun supports the OS; we provide packages built on the OS.  We're doing
> different jobs.  It's just a date that represents the last time anyone
> will reasonably use S8.
>

  The word "reasonably" is a tough one to bring up here. There are a lot of
really really large corporations out there running Solaris 8 and they will
not move until they are pushed real hard. They have no reason to move. It
works just fine and is very stable and very secure.

  I would go so far, right out on a limb here based on my many years of
business experience that Sun will be supporting Solaris 8 for as long as
those customers dictate. Its a simple matter of money and some
corporations will write a check for $5M a year for support just to keep
there E4500 servers running for one more year.

  If anyone out there thinks I am completely wrong, and you have been in the
IT business over a decade ( at least ) then please speak up. To me .. its
just simple business. While the number of Solaris 8 users is slowly going
away there will *always* be Solaris 8 users.

> I strongly believe we should set a date, one that gives people due
> notice, announce it and stick to it.

  I agree.

  No more discussion or debate.

  We should pick that date that Sun has set for end of phase 1 support and
that looks to be 3/31/09

See http://www.sun.com/service/eosl/solaris/solaris_vintage_eol_5.2005.xml

>> What about Solaris 9?
>
> Good question, most of the augments put forward against S8 apply to S9,
> (some even apply to S10, eg OpenSolaris libs).
>
> Same rational?  Although personally I've skipped S9 completely so
> after S8 is dropped I can start moaning. :-)

So, let's tackle one mountain at a time here. What are your thoughts on end
of phase 1 support ?  31st March 2009 ?

Dennis