An LTS release model, and what it changes about planning

MySQL moving to long-term-support and innovation tracks, which changes the upgrade question from when to which.

the two tracks:

  LTS         8.4, then 9.7-ish. supported ~8 years.
              bug fixes only after the first year.
  Innovation  8.1, 8.2, 8.3 ... one every quarter,
              supported until the next one.

what that means for us:
  an application on an innovation release must upgrade
  every three months or run something unsupported.

  we are on LTS, and the next decision is in ~2027.

The innovation track is for people who want a feature now and can move quarterly, and choosing it by accident — because it had the highest version number — is the failure mode this model invites. The planning consequence is that upgrades become rarer and larger, which is the same trade every long-term-support model makes and is worth stating before the 2027 one arrives.