CentOS - Dec 2020 - Update path question in connection with CentOS Stream?

Hello,

when someone has installed a CentOS 7.1 in the past,

and did 'yum update' regularily, his/she got a CentOS 7.8 now without 
any reinstallation procedure or other complications;

when the same wanted to update to CentOS 8 he/she had to do a new install;

what happens to CentOS Stream?

when some is now installing CentOS Steam and will do

'dnf update' or 'yum update' regularily in the future,

what does he/she get till the "end"?

is this a rolling release like Win10 which doesn't need to be 
reinstalled now and in future?
(the fact that hardware can break is not the question)

Thanks,
Walter

> when someone has installed a CentOS 7.1 in the past,
> 
> and did 'yum update' regularily, his/she got a CentOS 7.8 now
without
> any reinstallation procedure or other complications;
> 
> when the same wanted to update to CentOS 8 he/she had to do a new install;
> 
> what happens to CentOS Stream?
> 
> when some is now installing CentOS Steam and will do
> 
> 'dnf update' or 'yum update' regularily in the future,
> 
> what does he/she get till the "end"?
> 
> is this a rolling release like Win10 which doesn't need to be 
> reinstalled now and in future?
> (the fact that hardware can break is not the question)
Yes, you just continually get updates in 8-stream. There's no quantised
point releases. A fully updated 8-stream install is the equivalent of
the last point release of RHEL8 plus some other bits and those other
bits will accumulate over the 6 months and eventually form the next
point release.

You will continue to get updates in 8-stream until the last RHEL8 point
release (8.10) in 2024. It is unclear to me what will happen then -
will 8-stream remain dormant and get security fixes only? Will it be
removed completely (either deleted or put in vault)?  Will there be an
"upgrade" mechanism to get to 9-stream?

P.