Never reboot again with Linux and Ksplice

But what about userland?

While ksplice handles kernel patches, there are many more security-related patches to user-space processes. While changing "date" would not be a big deal, since it quickly runs to completion, changing shared libraries and long-lived processes is the other part of the problem. Updating Apache on-the-fly, or a shared library it depends on, is another part of maximizing service availability. Yes, a highly reliable web address wouldn't have a single server, but the longer it takes to update one server increases the time the system is running in a degraded state, potentially decreasing availability if other servers fail during that time.

Some other places have suggested that ksplice may infringe on a Microsoft patent application. In fact, the patent office has rejected the application 10/307,902, but Microsoft is appealing. It was rejected because of an earlier HP patent, 6,928,536 described dynamic patching. HP's patent concerned replacing instructions not supported in the hardware. Older prior art would likely punch holes in several of the claims, see IEEE Software, March 1993 for a survey of online patching systems for references to patching systems which predate Microsoft's patents. Whether ksplice infringes on HP's claims is not clear, but HP has significant Linux usage, and may elect to ignore ksplice.

I run Ubuntu 9.04, Windows

I run Ubuntu 9.04, Windows XP, Mac 0SX and Win7 machines at home.

Just about every time I power up the Linux machine, it requires updates that need a reboot. The Windows machines also need updates often, but these are my main work machines with a lot of apps running on them.
The Mac and Linux machines are purely a hobby, I have far too many applications that don't run natively on these 2 platforms to use them as my primary computers.
(Before anyone harps on about insecurity and viruses on Windows, in 20 years of running Windows, I have only ever had 1 virus and that was from a colleagues memory stick.)

As I need to run many automotive and electronic analysis packages, they are only coded for Windows and will never be ported to Linux or Mac, and as such, these will alway be also-rans OS's for me.

Linux will never become mainstream while it needs to drop to command line for any reason. I've yet to find a distro that will install onto any machine without need to do some command line config, and this will scare away 95% of the computer users I know.
I also find the graphical interface to be clunky and slightly home made looking. ;-)

Whoa! Softies really got upset here...

That comment about rebooting 3 AM was fun. And a critical internet-exposed server will be left all the day with a security hole open for anyone willing to enter it.

Windows reboots are really really painful. Even after a long time downloading and installing updates, when you ask for it to shutdown, it "configures" the updates, and after rebooting, before the login screen, it "finalizes" the update procedure.
I dunno, but I thought updates were as easy as changing the old files for new ones.
And Linux is like that.

Another *key* point for Linux being able of rebootless upgrades is its ability to remove/rename/modify a file while it is in use. Something NTFS does not allow (yet) and so you need to reboot all your machine.

You've done it again

You've proven why Linux isn't ahead of Windows. People concentrate on the wrong stuff. Ksplice is a wonderful concept, but if Linux is as bullet proof as everyone says, and it seems to be that bullet proof on the server, then why bother?

Every shop should have down time windows, procedures for patching, etc down to a fine art. These procedures render Ksplice redundant.

If Ksplice only updates the kernal in memory, then it's a disaster waiting to happen when the drive gets out of sync with what's runnng. Next time you do reboot, you go backwards and may not even know it!

The only gain seems to be that you don't have to reboot. Completely insignificant!

How about taking a critical look at Linux, where it can be better, and quit harping on Windows.

Windows is a distraction to the real problem of winning the general population. Every time you harp on Windows you give the Linux community an excuse for failure. Stop being a facilitator for failure!

Take those excuses away and help the community get over Microsoft and push them to excellence instead of the typically buggy beta code that so many think is wonderful.

Until the code is clean and works every time, Linux will always be an also ran.