Upcoming Releases Schedule...

[Jo Rhett]

On Sep 22, 2008, at 3:46 PM, Robert Watson wrote:
> The key point here holds, however: I think we should not ever be in  
> the position of telling people that support lifetime on a release  
> has been reduced.


I agree.  However, there are other ways of doing this than to create  
overlapping windows of support.

(totally whistling in the wind for a moment)

This isn't an absolute number, but what about something like this?   
(it should probably be rewritten)

-REL will be supported for a minimum of 12 months.  It will be  
extended if

   * if no other release of the major version is planned, it will be  
extended 12 additional months. (24 total)

   * if another release is planned, it will be supported for 3 months  
past the date of the next release.

This isn't actually all that much different from the actuality of your  
existing practice, but it provides a reasonable guideline that a  
business can understand.  It's also always incrementally forward, and  
doesn't reward a business for staying behind on a previous release -  
like your existing policy is doing right now.

-- 
Jo Rhett
Net Consonance : consonant endings by net philanthropy, open source  
and other randomness