so if i install debian 12 on my machine, can i just let it sit there for years or months??
like not doing anything, just a spare laptop in case i ever need one, what if i use it years after i installed debian on it?? i would have to update like 300 packages and would take a lot??
I wouldn’t necessarily say that - Debian and FreeBSD releases have roughly the same support lifespan, meaning if installed on release day, you’d get a few (~5 years) years of support without major upgrades.
I’d say both systems have a high chance of success at upgrading to the immediate next version, so that becomes maybe 7 or 8 years when adding the years of support left on the now older immediate next version.
For a second immediate next upgrade, you might be right that a BSD has a better chance of surviving.
I wouldn’t know about Open SD, though, as they operate on point releases and I don’t know to what extent they prevent breaking changes.