Red Hat Linux ends support network

I feel ripped off

by Tom Adelstein

November 04, 2003

I suffered through numerous insults over the years from staff, developers, friends and support teams for using Red Hat and making it the default distribution for products I created.

When I spoke to Leigh May, she assured me that Red Hat network would continue and I could download my community Red Hat distributions there. My payments for support entitlements could continue.

Well, they broke the news to me. Either buy the high priced product or your support ends on your birthday.

I've evaluated all the distributions and have a lot to say about them. I leaned heavily in the direction of Sun's new distribution. I wanted to consider others such as SuSE, Lycoris, Xandros, Debian and even Lindows.

I just didn't get the support I needed. I want that little icon on the task bar that turns red when I need to update.

I'm going with Gentoo Linux because of its ability to support me with updates and because it is free and available. It's also the most stable and up-to-date Linux distribution. It's got a beautiful desktop and it's a nice Linux takeoff on Open BSD as far as updating the system.

The only thing I would say to others, don't necessarily follow my lead. Gentoo requires an intimate knowledge of Linux. You won't find an installer. You have to build your distribution practically from scratch.

I'll do a review of the Linux distributions as soon as I can find out what will happen to SuSE's part of the Sun Linux Desktop.

Here's the Letter from Red Hat:

Thank you for being a Red Hat Network customer.

This e-mail provides you with important information about the upcoming
discontinuation of Red Hat Linux, and resources to assist you with your
migration to another Red Hat solution.

As previously communicated, Red Hat will discontinue maintenance and
errata support for Red Hat Linux 7.1, 7.2, 7.3 and 8.0 as of December
31, 2003. Red Hat will discontinue maintenance and errata support for
Red Hat Linux 9 as of April 30, 2004. Red Hat does not plan to release
another product in the Red Hat Linux line.

With the recent announcement of Red Hat Enterprise Linux v.3, you'll
find migrating to Enterprise Linux appealing. We understand
that transitioning to another Red Hat solution requires careful planning
and implementation. We have created a migration plan for Red Hat Network
customers to help make the transition as simple and seamless as
possible. Details:

****************
If you purchase Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS or ES Basic before February
28, 2004, you will receive 50% off the price for two years.[*] (That's two
years for the price of one.)

****************
In addition, we have created a Red Hat Linux Migration Resource Center
to address your migration planning and other questions, such as:

* What are best practices for implementing the migration to Red Hat
Enterprise Linux?

* Are there other migration alternatives?

* How do I purchase Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS or ES Basic at the price
above?

* What if my paid subscription to RHN extends past April 30, 2004?

****************

Find out more about your migration options with product comparisons,
whitepapers and documentation at the Red Hat Linux Migration Resource
Center:

http://www.redhat.com/solutions/migration/rhl/rhn

Or read the FAQ written especially for Red Hat Network customers:

https://rhn.redhat.com/help/rhlmigrationfaq/

Sincerely,

Red Hat, Inc.

[*] Limit 10 units. Higher volume purchase inquiries should contact a
regional Red Hat sales representative. Contact numbers available at
http://www.redhat.com/solutions/migration/rhl/rhn

--the Red Hat Network Team

01:41 PM