Red Hat, announced that the company is now shifting focus from CentOS Linux to CentOS Stream. The decision angered many CentOS Linux users and most of them started looking for an alternative. Shortly after Red Hat’s announcement, Gregory Kurtzer, current CEO and founder of Control Command and also one of the creators of CentOS Linux announced Rocky Linux, a new RHEL fork that focuses on stability and compatibility, as its name implies.
Alternative for CentOS Linux
Now that Red Hat shifting its focus, it seems like Rocky Linux might be one of the most popular alternatives for CentOS Linux. Kurtzer made the announcement with a GitHub page which now redirects to Rocky Linux repo. Unlike CentOS Stream, Rocky Linux is expected to follow a traditional fixed-point release model which is used by most Linux server distros. Kurtzer also stated that there are over 650 would-be contributors in the first 48 hours of the project. Gregory Kurtzer, Founder, Rocky Linux, said,
“I was just as shocked as the rest of the community with the news from Red Hat. When I started CentOS 16 years ago, I never imagined the incredible reach and impact it would have around the world on individuals and companies who rely on CentOS for Linux distribution.
In response to this unexpected shift, I am proud to announce the launch of a new project, Rocky Linux, in honor of my late CentOS co-founder Rocky McGough. I’ve started calling on participation from the global community and quickly assembling a team to further our founding commitment of ensuring seamless continuity of business operations for companies running CentOS 8 far beyond 2021. In just one day, we’ve seen an overwhelming response from thousands of supporters eager to join the project.”