[Info-vax] CentOS has been effectively killed for production use

[Arne Vajhøj]

On 12/11/2020 12:33 PM, Dave Froble wrote:
> On 12/11/2020 9:44 AM, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>> On 12/11/2020 3:13 AM, David Wade wrote:
>>> the great problem with linux is not that there are 1000 distributions
>>> but that there are no free distributions that stay on the same path.
>>
>> Changes happens. Volunteers get other interests. Corporate sponsors
>> get other priorities.
>>
>> But changes can happen to commercial software as well. The vendor
>> change strategy and ditch certain platforms or certain features.
> 
> The way I see it, there is a great difference.
> 
> Volunteers cannot be counted upon.  They have no large financial 
> interest in seeing a project through to completion.  They can have 
> financial reasons, such as a mortgage payment, for not continuing on a 
> project.
> 
> Commercial vendors "usually" have a business plan, have money invested 
> in completing the plan, and have need of the customers.

The mechanics are certainly very different between commercial
and open source.

But being commercial does not guarantee forever support.
Dropping support can also be a business decision.

It is not long time ago that we heard that Oracle
is dropping Oracle DB (alias Classic) support for VMS.

Arne