Introducing Extended-Term Support

Tue, 23 Jan 2018

I began maintaining my APT repository for Linux-libre, graciously hosted by the Free Software Foundation Latin America, in September 2011.

At first the repository only provided Short-Term Support (STS) kernels, focusing on always having the latest version. These were only supported for 2-3 months at a time.

In 2013 I added Long-Term Support (LTS) versions, supported for 2 years.

Now I am expanding on that by introducing Extended-Term Support (ETS.) ETS versions are supported for 6 years, instead of 2 years for LTS. They are a good choice for someone that wants the reliability and dependability of an LTS version for an extended period.

Kernel 4.4 will be the initial Extended-Term Support (ETS) kernel, supported until February 2022.

STS and LTS versions are available without cost. ETS versions will have a cost associated with them, but don't worry: I'm going with a "pay what you think is fair" option. ETS versions are maintained in a separate repository. Please contact me to arrange access.