The release of the Rocky Linux 8.4 distribution has taken place, aimed at creating a new free build of RHEL capable of replacing classic CentOS, after Red Hat decided to end support for the CentOS 8 branch at the end of 2021, rather than in 2029 as initially planned. This is the first stable release of the project, recognized as ready for production deployment. 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, changes made to packages involve removing branding associated with Red Hat. The project is developed under the leadership of Gregory Kurtzer, the founder of CentOS. Concurrently, to develop advanced products based on Rocky Linux and support the community of developers for this distribution, a commercial company Ctrl IQ has been established, which received $4 million in investments. The Rocky Linux distribution promises to be developed independently of Ctrl IQ under community management. Companies such as Google, Amazon Web Services, GitLab, MontaVista, 45Drives, OpenDrives, and NAVER Cloud have also joined in the development and financing of the project.
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
