For best support of btrfs I need to update the base slackware platform and linux kernel. unRaid 5.x is based on slack 13.1 (which is pretty old now), and unRaid 6 is based on slack 14.1 (which has just been released). Turns out it's a fairly extensive job to upgrade the slackware platform, so this is what I want to do:
- Release 5.0.1, which is primarily a bug fix release.
- Freeze 5.x feature set and linux kernel at 3.9.11 (which is end of road for that kernel anyway).
- Release 6.0, which is 64-bit kernel and slackware 14.1 platform (all 64-bit).
When 6.0 is ready, I want to try and gauge how many users out there either can't run the 64-bit kernel, or experience big issues due to 64-bit kernel for some reason. If "not many" users are negatively affected then:
- Add new features such as cache pool only to 6.x series.
If "many" customers can not run 64-bit, then I will be forced to go back and update 5.0 platform to slack 14.1. I'm hoping I won't need to do that.
This is fair. However, as other companies do, you could keep both 5.x and 6.x running at the same time, in different price brackets and feature brackets.
If you want to run unRAID on old hardware that doesn't support 64bit, you should still be able to get a stable build of unRAID. 5.x is your choice until you upgrade your hardware.
If you want the latest features and you've got the hardware for it, 6.x onward is your best bet.
As long as both are stable, and both support the now independent webGUI, i think you've got a win-win for both yourself and the community. Trying to appease everyone with a single build might not work!