CentOS 5.10 Released

By

New version of the free (but unsupported) enterprise Linux alternative slips out from under the hat.

The CentOS project recently announced the release of CentOS version 5.10. CentOS is derived from Red Hat source code and strives to maintain compatibility with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). In keeping with tradition, the latest CentOS appeared close on the heels of the new RHEL 5.10 release, which debuted on October 1.

CentOS, and other RHEL clones, have evolved as an alternative for users who want a free, enterprise-grade Linux alternative that avoids Red Hat's licensing fees and are willing to operate without the extensive tech support offered by Red Hat. The open source licenses used with Linux and most of the Linux tools allow CentOS (or anyone) to obtain the source code, compile it, and distribute it independently as long as they remove any trademarked or copyrighted material from the original vendor.

Announcements from CentOS developers are always a little cryptic, because they are not allowed to mention Red Hat. In the words of CentOS leader Johnny Hughes, "CentOS-5.10 is based on the upstream release EL 5.10 and includes packages from all variants including Server and Client. All upstream repositories have been combined into one, to make it easier for end users to work with." 

According to the CentOS project, highlights of the new release includes MySQL 5.5. (MySQL 5.1 is also on board for purposes of supporting an upgrade to the recommended MySQL 5.5 release.) Other improvements include security updates, new Python packages, and the new gcc-libraries package, with support for "certain atomic operations and transactional memory."

10/29/2013

Related content

comments powered by Disqus