Shock OS Release Cycle

With the exeption of the initial release, the Shock OS release cycle is entierly dependent on upstream support from Raspberry Pi OS and Debian. Therefore, the support lifecycle of a given Shock OS release will match that of its base.

1: Initial Release

The Shock OS image is publicly released. Once this happens, it will recieve no further support from the Shock OS team. After the initial release, the Shock OS team moves completely onto the development of the next release.

2: Full Upstream Support

However, the release will continue to recieve upstream support from Debian and Raspberry Pi OS for the remainder of the lifetime of the base. 

For example, Shock OS 6.0 Finlay is based on Raspberry Pi OS Bullseye (which is based on Debian Bullseye), so its base is Bullseye. This means Shock OS 6.0 Finlay will continue to recieve upstream updates for the rest of Debain Bullseye's lifetime. Once Debian Bullseye reaches EOL (End of Life), support for Shock OS 6.0 Finlay will end.

The Debian Stable lifecycle gives each release 3 years of full support. While each Shock OS release will be iterated during the 3 year full support window for its base distro, it probably won't be released at the beginning of that window.

For example, Shock OS 6.0 Finlay was released when its base, Debian Bullseye, was just over a year old. This means that from the time Shock OS 6.0 Finlay was released, it will only recieve 2 years of full upstream support, instead of the full 3 years.

3: LTS Upstream Support

After the 3 year window of full upstream support has ended, each Debian release gets 2 years  of additional LTS (Long Term Support) maintenance. This consists mostly of security updates and patches. Each Shock OS release will get the full 2 years of LTS support.

4: End of Life

After the 2 years of LTS support has ended, the Shock OS release will recieve no further updates. The release is now officially outdated. Using a Shock OS release that has reached its EOL (End of Life) is highly discouraged as using an ancient operating system presents great security risks. Upgrading to a newer version of Shock OS is strongly recommended at this point.