A candidate for the Rocky Linux 8.4 distribution is available for testing, aimed at creating a new free build of RHEL, capable of taking the place of classic CentOS, after Red Hat's decision to discontinue support for the CentOS 8 branch at the end of 2021, rather than in 2029 as initially anticipated. The Rocky Linux builds are prepared for x86_64 and aarch64 architectures.
The distribution is fully binary compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4. As with classic CentOS, the changes made to the packages focus on eliminating ties to the Red Hat brand. The project is led by Gregory Kurtzer, the founder of CentOS. Concurrently, a commercial company, Ctrl IQ, has been established for the development of advanced products based on Rocky Linux and for supporting the community of developers of this distribution, having received $4 million in investments. The Rocky Linux distribution itself promises to be developed independently from Ctrl IQ under community management. The companies MontaVista, 45Drives, OpenDrives, and Amazon Web Services have also joined in the project's development and funding.
In addition to Rocky Linux, alternatives to classic CentOS 8 include VzLinux (prepared by Virtuozzo), AlmaLinux (developed by CloudLinux in cooperation with the community), and Oracle Linux. Additionally, Red Hat has provided free use of RHEL in organizations developing open-source software and environments for individual developers with up to 16 virtual or physical systems.
Source: opennet.ru
