[PLUG] The Redhat Free Update Ride is ending

[Kam Salisbury <kam@kamsalisbury.com>]

It looks as though the free 'demo' use of Redhat's up2date auto package
management and update service is coming to an end. Maybe they are trying to
qualify that huge bandwidth bill? Does this move by Redhat mean anything?
Maybe they are afraid of the recent bankruptcy filing by Mandrake?

Does this mean you should dump Redhat in favor of something else? No... not
quite. (Well yes if you are a Debian person anyway) You do not "HAVE" to use
the up2date service at all. Though, in corporate environments where Redhat
is used, the monthly fee for service is little compared to the relative ease
of updating the system using it. I am wondering if MS will soon go to a pay
for updates service model for their Windows Update service as well.

Of course, this new step has nothing to do with anyone who can 'rpm -Uhv
foo.rpm' from the shell. It only impacts people relying on the up2date
utility and the service it provides. See the email text below...


######


Dear Red Hat Network User,

Earlier this year, Red Hat Network reached a user base of 1 million
registered
systems.  We thought that this would be the right time to update you about
Red
Hat Network's recent progress.


BETTER PERFORMANCE

Our customers continue to request improvements in the functionality and
performance of Red Hat Network.  We have responded by providing the
following
improvements for paid subscribers:

  - INSTANT ACCESS to Red Hat ISOs as soon as they become available. This
    means no more long downloads from ftp sites, driving to the store, or
    waiting for your friends to finish with their copy.

  - Priority bandwidth during heavy traffic periods.  Paid subscribers have
    immediate access to errata and ISOs, ensuring that their systems are
    kept up to date and always secure.

  - 24 Hour Access. Demo Accounts are subject to blackouts during periods of
    high usage. Paid subscribers receive uninterrupted service all year.

  - The ability to manage multiple systems from a single user login and
    password, and a single email account.

  - Immediate access to new Red Hat Network functionality as Red Hat expands
    the Red Hat Network platform.

If you are not currently a paying subscriber to Red Hat Network and these
features sound interesting to you, subscriptions are available for as little
as $5 per month.  Learn more by visiting the following link:

https://rhn.redhat.com/preview/index.pxt

RULES FOR DEMO SUBSCRIPTIONS

We will continue to provide free service to users who can get by with the
demo functionality.  We will, however, introduce some new rules that will
make
it easier for us to provide service to these accounts.

First, all demo accounts without a confirmed email address will be disabled.
In addition, all demo accounts that use non-unique email addesses will be
disabled, in accordance with our terms and conditions.  This maintenance
cycle
will occur during the spring of 2003.  Your current account name and email
address are listed at the bottom of this email.

Second, we will be asking people who want to continue using their demo
accounts
at the end of their contract period to complete a short survey.  Once
completed,
the demo service will be extended for two months.

The data we collect will enable us to deliver more and better products and
services, including those of our partners.  We will never make your personal
data available to outside parties.

Thank you again for your continued support of Red Hat and the Linux
community.
We look forward to providing you with new features and functionality in the
months ahead.

--the Red Hat Network team



010010110110000101101101

Kam Salisbury
MCSE, CNA, Linux+
http://kamsalisbury.com
http://pwig.org


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