[pca] No more free patches

[Dennis Clarke]

> Hi,
>
> Get ready for some bad news: According to my sources there will be no
> more free access to any Solaris patch, be it security or not. A support
> contract will be required for every patch download, no matter whether
> it's done interactively through the website or hands-off with wget/pca.
> I've been told that this policy change won't by publically announced by
> Oracle, but it's described in this SunSolve document:
>
>    #203648: Software Update Entitlement Policy for Solaris
>    http://sunsolve.sun.com/search/document.do?assetkey=1-61-203648-1
>
> It already seems to be in effect. I tried to download various recent
> security patches and access is denied to any of them.
>
> Sooner or later access to patchdiag.xref and all other content currently
> on SunSolve will be limited to paying customers as well.
>
> No opinion, but a few thoughts:
>
> Using an operating system where the only way to fix security problems is
> waiting for the next version is a no-go, so the minimum cost for running
> Solaris on a real-world system is now that of a basic service plan (324$
> and up per year).

I am fine with a support contract fee on my servers. That is just business
and everyone would expect a small fee for service.

    Software is free. Service is not.

"Software is Free, Service is Not: The Dawn of Service Networks" written
by ex-Oracle executives and co-founders of OpenWater - Mike Rocha and Tim
Chou.

See
http://www.anshublog.com/2007/05/new-meme-software-is-free-service-is.html

I have that book and I agree with its basic premise. Simply put, no
organization can support an operating system, application stack or any
software product for free. Period.

> Sun didn't make enough money, so it's obvious that Oracle handles things
> differently. Whether this is a wise decision is left to the future. The
> fact that there's no public announcement reveals a lot.

That bothers me. Given that I bought new contracts within the last 30 days.

> There should be a much simpler way to get basic patch support (think
> about a PayPal button at the end of the OS installation to get the
> idea). And it definitely should cost less than the service plans.
> Personally, I'd prefer a one-time fee for the OS (which should be
> included in the price of a server when bought from Sun).

That would be retrograde motion back to the days of the RTU license fee on
the Sparc servers. I doubt you can do such a thing with x86 servers or
machines based on a free download.

-- 
Dennis Clarke
dclarke at opensolaris.ca  <- Email related to the open source Solaris
dclarke at blastwave.org   <- Email related to open source for Solaris