Our release branches are modeled after Debian and Ubuntu.

Unstable

Recommended for dev and testing hosts.

This is where our maintainers upload packages to once they consider them ready for distribution. A number of automated checks are run on the packages to catch common packaging issues and to ensure formal correctness. This is where you will find recent applications and ongoing enhancements. On the flipside, there is a chance for defects. Updates are frequent.

Testing

Recommended for dev and testing systems.

Packages, after being uploaded to the unstable catalog, wait for 14 days, and if there are no bugs filed against, them, they are automatically copied into the testing catalog. This allows us to catch and handle defects which can occur in the unstable catalog, before the defect reaches the testing catalog.

Named Releases

OpenCSW creates named catalogs, which go through a progression: each named catalog first serves as the testing catalog, then as stable, and is decommissioned after a new stable takes over. You can subscribe to a named catalog if you want, but it will require you to do more work: to continue getting updates (including security updates) you will have to monitor the website and keep your subscription in sync. Otherwise you will continue subscribing to a catalog which no longer gets updates.

Legacy

Do not use!

This is an early release which pre-dates our current release model. It has not seen updates in years and will never have.