Re: [cobalt-users] RE: No Solaris Petition

[Jeff Lasman <jblists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Arsalan Mahmud wrote:

> Lets say cobalt shifts to Solaris and uses it on the raq 5 series.. Lets say
> consumers like it allot hell they sell a zillion boxes.. Just tell me this..
> since Sun doesn't have the "energy" to further develop Linux where will we
> be left with our raq 3i's and 4 r's not to mention the 2's and 1's and the
> qubes and cache raq's and all the other products they already have ?

The same place you are now, with good usable systems that do what you
bought them to do.

Most experienced unix admins don't play with working systems.  We leave
them alone.

For example, BSD-OS is up to 4.1, but until a few months ago, we were
still running 2.1.

And not because of the upgrade $$ either, but because it worked.  We
stopped using it when it stopped working, i.e., when we started having
problems with sendmail.  While we could have upgraded just sendmail,
after all the hardware was four years old as well, so we took the system
out of service and installed our 4.1 on a new system.

> Lets say their is a new exploit out for the apache http server that we run
> right now on all of our raq's. Sun isn't interested in Linux any more so you
> would rater have all of your servers compromised right ?

Believe me, there's enough RaQ2s and 3s out there that someone would
supply the patch.  I will, if no one else will.  Of course it might cost
money; there has to be incentive to produce anything, doesn't there? 
Have you checked out the cobalt-developers list?  It's for people who
develop their own and advanced software on their RaQs.

> As pointed out that not allot of users actually use the command line so..
> how will they fix problems when the platform is no longer supported by the
> parent company ?

They'll buy support from a third-party.  Anything wrong with that?

> Who will be making the patches and stuff... even now their patches aren't
> fully tested (it seems) will you be making them for us ? will you dedicate a
> whole department for the few THOUSAND raq's out there ?

Third party support is already viable for the Cobalt RaQ.  It's becoming
more viable, not less.

> Should we consider our 50+ raq's as a bad investment ?

Sure, if you want.  Then you'll sell them at a low price, and someone
else will benefit.

> Let me know your thoughts !!

Just did <smile>.

Jeff
-- 
Jeff Lasman <jblists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
nobaloney.net
P. O. Box 52672
Riverside, CA  92517
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