Three-Generations Release Cycle
Here is my proposal for a Linux distro release cycle
- major releases every 2 years
- point releases (accumulating updates) every year
- releases happenning on the beginning of the year, ideally on the 1st of January
- versions based on calendar years - version 10 released in January 2010, version 12 in January 2012, etc.
- upgrades supported only between point releases, major releases would require a reinstall
- 3 supported releases (generations) at any given time
- 2010 - 10.0, 8.2, 6.4
- 2011 - 10.1, 8.3, 6.5
- 2012 - 12.0, 10.2, 8.4
- 2013 - 12.1, 10.3, 8.5
- 2014 - 14.0, 12.2, 10.4
- 2015 - 14.1, 12.3, 10.5
This way one would know what releases are out there, how long they have been around, how log they will be supported, and when to expect a new one.
(I wish Debian adopted this 3G release cycle)