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) The release will not be time based, only the freeze will be time based. It will still be released "when it is done"(tm). It's still a time-based release cycle - it's just that because Debian chose a longer timeframe, they also have more leeway between dev freeze and release. Ubuntu also has leeway between dev freeze and release, it's just shorter because the cycle is shorter as well.
This change does not indicate that Debian will not be "ready" when a new release arrives. Probably what will occur is that those "not ready" packages will not be shipped in their lastest version, preserving a stable one.
Having an idea of when a new version of Debian will be available - well, I can wait one year at all - is good for planning.
Anyway, if the release looks unstable for you, you can simply choose not to install it and wait for a patch or the next release.
For the end user, it's not when the distro releases but when the current distro stops recieving update packages.
I used this approach with Mandriva for years before giving Debian it's due. When I stop seeing updates for my current Mandriva version, it's time to upgrade. 2007.1 isn't getting updates so it's time to choose between 2008.1 and 2009.#. Ok, it would have been time but Lenny has replaced it on all but my last desktop. In my current case, when 2008.1 on that stops receiving updates, I'll have already confirmed my final question; how does Lenny (or Squeeze by that time maybe) support my Nvidia GPU and Hauppauge tuner board.
(checkinstall has single-handedly taken care of anything not in the repositories that has to go in from tarball.)





Member since:
2007-07-07
That's a shame.
While there should be a reasonable deadline concerning the release date, Debian should be released only when it is ready.
That was the biggest strength of the project, offering a great stability, suitable in a professional environment.
Now distros developers focus too much on the desktop and forget that stability is the key and that Gnu/Linux is strong on the market server, whereas the desktop still remains a huge challenge.
I bet that in the future, the delay will be shortened.
I even doubt that Debian will now survive to Ubuntu...