In response to a query concerning Ubuntu LTS:

Neither AskUbuntu nor Ubuntuforums is "monitored by Canonical employed 
professionals". This is community support. We are volunteers. If you 
want to talk to Canonical-employed engineers, you must pay for Ubuntu 
Advantage.

End excerpt.

Although this list has much "volunteer" community support, and many of 
whom in the "community" are computer professionals, there also have been 
responses by Fermilab (and CERN?) "employed professionals" that 
presumably will end with the coming announced demise of SL. To 
participate in this SL list, one did not have to a member or employee of 
an institution in a Fermilab or CERN research collaboration.  I also 
understand the difference between non-profit research facilities and 
efforts such as in HEP (Fermilab and CERN) and a for-profit entity such 
as IBM RH or Canonical.  My understanding is that the Princeton distro 
also had some Princeton "employed professionals" who monitored/answered 
certain questions on what is now Springdale.  Ubuntu Advantage terms, 
conditions, and USA dollar pricing is at:

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__ubuntu.com_legal_ubuntu-2Dadvantage-2Dservice-2Ddescription&d=DwICaQ&c=gRgGjJ3BkIsb5y6s49QqsA&r=gd8BzeSQcySVxr0gDWSEbN-P-pgDXkdyCtaMqdCgPPdW1cyL5RIpaIYrCn8C5x2A&m=oSQ1suFchjInBo9ezZu2_0-F8UELIntP1s4Pq0UOa8M&s=Y6pYRJW9Zr-JGrUp--Q5-549NnrL8VV1jtZ2eF7Xi-4&e= 

with the least expensive, for desktop (e.g., laptop) use, that appears 
to be $25 per year, and the most expensive, for a physical server with 
various forms of near real-time operating systems and functionality 
software support and servicing, is $1,500 .  I am posting this to the SL 
list for those considering Ubuntu LTS as an alternative.  IBM RH, SuSE, 
and Oracle have their own price lists.  To the best of my knowledge, 
because Fermilab/CERN are not for profit entities but instead involved 
in basic research for the human good (not return on investment to 
shareholders and other financial entities), the rough equivalent of the 
$25 per year "support" through this SL list was at no cost to the SL 
list subscribers. Fermilab (and CERN and possibly other HEP employed 
computer professionals?) provided answers on occasion (or fixed the 
distro downloads site, etc.) without charge -- although most of the 
material on the SL list is from "community volunteers".