RHEL/CentOS/SL are good for "install-and-forget" operation; they are not good for "stay-current-and-reasonably-stable" operation mainly due to too old kernel, but also for some users due to too old apps.
I think you have this bass-ackwards. Install and forget would seem to include reasonably stable, as bug fixes will be created for the version for some time.
"stay-current" will be difficult in any case, as no distribution that I know of keeps all the apps current, they generally use the more-or-less current versions at time of release and patch them, rather than upgrading. If that's what you want, you will probably need to build and install your own packages. Constant upgrading seems to be the norm for those who want the latest and greatest.
Hugh
On 11/28/2011 01:33 PM, Hugh Caley wrote:
I think you have this bass-ackwards. Install and forget would seem to include reasonably stable, as bug fixes will be created for the version for some time.
FWIW, unstable doesn't always mean "doesn't work very well" or "tends to crash." It can also mean "constantly getting updated" as compared to "stays exactly the same for long periods." For the most part, I've found Fedora to fit the second definition of the term.
On Mon, 2011-11-28 at 14:23 -0800, Joe Zeff wrote:
FWIW, unstable doesn't always mean "doesn't work very well" or "tends to crash." It can also mean "constantly getting updated" as compared to "stays exactly the same for long periods."
There's a couple of commonly used definitions of "stable" used with *ix releases, and you need to check which applies to the distro you're interested in.
* The version rarely changes, so you keep on using the same software throughout the life of your installation. Your applications keep working the same way, their configuration and application data is still useable.
* The system stays reliably operating, and has very few errors. Software is updated, but it's very rare that any unreliable updates are pushed.
The two conditions are not mutually dependent.
One big problem with the first one is; eventually you may be forced to update your entire release, because of an application like Firefox becomes too old for the internet (sites become unusable, because plugins aren't available for your old version of the browser). Or a new application that you'd like to use isn't available for your old release, and you can't even compile it, thanks to major system changes in the meantime.
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Hugh Caley -
Joe Zeff -
Tim