Rocky Linux RC1 Now Available

Rocky Linux, from the creator of CentOS, has officially been released as an RC candidate. This Linux server distribution came into being after Red Hat shifted gears with CentOS, to make it a rolling release distribution. When that came about, Gregory Kurtzer (the creator of CentOS) decided to step back into the Linux server distribution game with a Rocky Linux.

Rocky Linux will be a community-based 1:1 binary replacement for Red Hat Enterprise Linux and currently ships with Gnome 3.32, Linux kernel 4.18.0-240.22.1.el8, SQLite 3.26, virt-what 1.18, Samba 4.12.3, DNF 4.2, RPM 4.14, glibc 2.28, libgcc 8.3, and plenty of other foundational tools to get you started on a more stable and reliable track than what you might find with the now rolling release CentOS.

Rocky Linux will be a community-supported server distribution and will be capable of running all of the applications and services you're used to deploying to CentOS. Rocky Linux will be more CentOS-like than CentOS now is.

It should be noted, however, that this is a release candidate and should not, under any circumstances, be used in a production environment.

For those looking to try out Rocky Linux, download the official first release candidate (https://rockylinux.org/download/) and install it in a testing environment.

AlmaLinux Now Enjoys Commercial Support

Those who have been struggling with what to do now that CentOS is no longer a viable operating system for their businesses can breathe a sigh of relief. The company behind AlmaLinux, CloudLinux, has announced they're now offering support for the 1:1 binary replacement for Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

The new AlmaLinux support package (https://almalinux.org/support/) will be available starting the first week of May 2021 and will include regular patches and updates for the AlmaLinux kernel and core packages, patch delivery service-level agreements (SLAs), and 24/7/365 incident support.

According to Jack Aboutboul, AlmaLinux Community Manager, "Since launch, we've received tremendous interest and support from both the community as well as many commercial vendors, many of whom have begun using AlmaLinux OS for some pretty amazing use cases." Aboutboul continues, "Our thriving community has supported each other since day one which led to rapid adoption amongst organizations and requests for commercial support."

CloudLinux will be offering support packages customized to fit your company needs, access to specialized consulting services, and subscription discounts at 1K, 5K, and 10K volume levels.

At the moment, there are no prices listed for the support. To get more information, fill out the form on the support page (https://almalinux.org/support/), and CloudLinux will reach out to you.

The Linux Foundation Exploring the Impact of Open Source Ecosystems

Linux Foundation Research (https://linuxfoundation.org/research/) will soon leverage the vast drove of data, tools, and communities, across all industry verticals and technology horizontals, to create an unprecedented network of knowledge that will benefit the global open source community, on both academic and industry levels.

This new initiative will be led by Hilary Carter, VP of Linux Foundation Research, who recently helmed the publication of more than 100 enterprise-level research projects for the Blockchain Research Institute.

Of this new effort, Carter says, "The opportunity to measure, analyze, and describe the impact of open source collaborations in a more fulsome way through Linux Foundation Research is inspiring." Carter continued, "Whether we're exploring the security of digital supply chains or new initiatives to better report on climate risk, the goal of LF Research is to enhance decision-making and encourage collaboration in a vast array of open source projects."

According to Carter, this new initiative is about getting to the heart of "why open source community initiatives matter to all facets of our society, as a means to get more people – and more organizations – actively involved."

An advisory board will be created for this project, one that will consist of a rotating committee of experts who will influence the agenda and provide input, oversight, and support.

It's important to note that Linux Foundation Research will make all data public (that is not personally identifiable or restricted by a third party).