When Red Hat, the parent company of CentOS Linux, he said that "shifts the focus from CentOS Linux to CentOS Stream" many CentOS friends began to protest on social media. CentOS co-founder Gregory Kurtzer listened to them and announced that he would create his own clone from RHEL and CentOS: Rocky linux
Kurtzer, whose current job is CEO and Founder Control Command, a high-performance computer startup, said:
"I was just as shocked by the rest of the community with the Red Hat news. "When I started CentOS 16 years ago, I never imagined the incredible scope and impact it would have on individuals and companies based on CentOS for Linux Distribution."
Who are these companies? They are names you know. Major companies that not only use CentOS but depend on it include Disney, GoDaddy, RackSpace, Toyota and Verizon. Other major tech companies build products around CentOS. These include GE, Riverbed, F5, Juniper and Fortinet.
These are multi-billion dollar companies that are now looking for alternatives. Some of them are considering switching to RHEL, but many are considering switching. Canonical's Ubuntu, for example, could be a solution.
Kurtzer reports:
“In response to this unexpected change, I am proud to announce the launch of a new Project, Rocky Linux, to pricen of former CentOS co-founder Rocky McGough. I have begun soliciting the participation of the global community and rapidly assembling a team to advance our fundamental commitment to ensure seamless business continuity for companies running CentOS 8 well beyond 2021. In a single day, we have responses from thousands of supporters who wish to participate in the project.”
According to Kurtzer, there are already over 650 potential contributors. Not bad for a Project that lasts less than 48 hours.
Kurtzer he said on LinkedIn that this will be a CentOS fork.
Red Hat may not be so wrinkled by Kurtzer's move. Many RHEL customers have turned to CentOS, and now there will be Rocky Linux.
The new CentOS Stream, like a rolling-out Linux distribution, does not have the stability of the old CentOS version of a fixed-point release. The rolling release constantly brings changes to a DevOps model, which is ideal, according to Red Hat, for a modern cloud system.
But CentOS customers want the traditional fixed-point model, a really stable version.
