Oracle Monopolizes Linux Ksplice
Oracle announced yesterday that it has acquired Ksplice, the creator of the technology by the same name that can update the Linux kernel without the need for a reboot. In the future Oracle will offer the Ksplice technology including a subscription for individual kernel updates through their Premium Support program. In a letter to their customers Oracle points out that Ksplice will be available only to users of their own Unbreakable Linux kernel. It explicitly rules out support for Red Hat or Suse Linux systems, although Oracle Linux is based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux. In a PDF presentation Oracle cites "Zero Downtime Updates with Ksplice" as a competitive advantage over Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
In the past Ksplice was available for free for Ubuntu and Fedora Linux. Those packages are still available on the Ksplice web site. Readers of the Slashdot site have called for Red Hat to fork the Ksplice project.
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