Re: Here is what Oracle is communicating to customers
"Solaris 11 follows a Continuous Delivery model, where new functionality is delivered as updates to the existing release; upgrades are not required to gain access to new features and capabilities. As a result, Support dates are evaluated for update annually, and will be provided through at least the dates above."
This makes sense. Big bang releases are pointless and cause customers pain, plus OS migrations every X years are a complete pain in the arse. Incremental updates make sense imho.
That said, what is telling is the lifespan support statement. If they were to carry on development for Solaris then point releases would also have their support dates amended in perpetuity. Ultimately, all vendors want you to consume cloud services (preferably theirs if they have one) rather than roll your own, this consumption-led model also appeals to bean counters across the globe.
From a purely personal perspective, another 15 years of supporting Solaris and migrations to Cloud or otherwise suits me just fine, its just a little sad that finally it looks like Solaris is finally entering its sunset years.