When Red Hat changed the way users and companies can access its Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) source code, the publisher probably did not expect this measure to have such consequences. First, the distributors of RHEL clones – AlmaLinux OS Foundation and Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation (RESF) – opposed it. Then Oracle, which has its own clone of RHEL, went after Red Hat. And now SUSE, the European Linux giant, is forking RHEL.
What is the next step ? Microsoft RHEL?
In deciding to fork RHEL, SUSE said it would invest more than $10 million in the development and maintenance of a RHEL-compatible distribution available to everyone without restrictions.
“CentOS Stream will now be the only repository for public versions of source code related to RHEL”
It all started when Mike McGrath, VP of Red Hat, said, “CentOS Stream will now be the only repository for public releases of RHEL-related source code. For Red Hat customers and partners, the source code will remain available through the Red Hat Customer Portal.”
It may not sound like much to you, but these are dangerous words for many free software and Linux distributors. According to the fundamental license of Linux, GPLv2, no restrictions can be imposed on the distribution of the source code to those who have received the binaries. In the opinion of many members of the free software community, this is exactly what Red Hat has done.
Others see it as the final step in the long dance between Red Hat’s commercial license requirements and free software licenses. Red Hat has had conflicts with RHEL clones since 2005, when Red Hat trademarks were the topic of the day. Usually these conflicts are limited to RHEL and its immediate rival clones. Not this time.
SUSE will not go it alone
Dirk-Peter van Leeuwen, CEO of SUSE, said:
“For decades, collaboration and shared success have been the foundation of our open-source community. We have a responsibility to uphold these values. This investment will preserve the flow of innovation for years to come and ensure that customers and the community are not subject to vendor lock-in and that they have real choice, now and in the future.”
What does that mean ? While SUSE will continue to invest in and support its own Linux distributions, SUSE Linux Enterprise (SLE) and openSUSE, SUSE plans to create its own RHEL-compatible clone. Once completed, this new distribution will be donated to an open-source foundation, which will provide permanent free access to the alternate source code.
Thomas Di Giacomo, Chief Technology and Product Officer of SUSE, said, “We strongly believe that this new RHEL-compatible Linux distribution, along with the SUSE portfolio, will help the community and customers navigate advances without precedent of enterprise Linux, cloud computing, containerization, edge computing, AI/ML and other emerging technologies.”
SUSE will not go it alone. Rocky Linux, which has already stated its intention to continue building RHEL clones, is also joining the movement. Gregory Kurtzer, CEO of CIQ and Founder of Rocky Linux’, said, “CIQ brings stability to its partners, customers and community by creating a broad coalition of companies, organizations and individuals sharing SUSE has embodied the fundamental principles and spirit of open source, and CIQ is excited to work with SUSE to advance an open enterprise Linux standard.
“Red Hat has opened Pandora’s box”
“Red Hat,” Kurtzer added, “opened Pandora’s box. The enterprise Linux community needs standardization, stability, and consistency. For years, it was RHEL. Now the door is open to other solutions. The CIQ is committed to ensuring the stability of its partners, its customers and its community”.
Gunnar Hellekson, vice president and general manager of RHEL at Red Hat, reminds SUSE and Rocky Linux that “a fork of Red Hat Enterprise Linux is a testament to the fact that we follow the spirit of open source and that the source code of RHEL remains freely available to anyone who wants it”. The world is rich in Linux distributions, and it’s the open-source model that works as intended to strengthen the community as a whole.”
So what is this new version of SUSE/RHEL really all about? Mr. Van Leeuwen explains, “As an Enterprise Linux user, you can upgrade to SUSE while keeping your current Linux operating system. And adds, “Our team is very experienced in supporting mixed environments. Last year we successfully introduced SUSE Liberty Linux for our customers who need CentOS and RHEL support. Additionally, SUSE Manager has long been renowned for its ability to efficiently manage a wide range of Linux distributions.”
Canonical out of the fray for now
While many Linux companies are happy to take on Red Hat for its licensing mishap, one big name is keeping a low profile: Canonical, the creator of Ubuntu Linux and Red Hat’s longtime rival when it comes to servers and of cloud, stay away from the fray.
What will all this hubbub mean for Red Hat and the businesses of its competitors? Good question. Companies care about compatibility, support, and stability, not open-source licenses. But they also care about cost, which explains the persistence of CentOS and its RHEL clones.
Matt Asay, who handles developer relations at MongoDB, remarked, “If you’re looking for the vendors most likely to dethrone Red Hat, look beyond Rocky or Alma, or SUSE. Look at those who are doing the more effort to make Linux easy and accessible for developers.This includes cloud service providers, as well as companies like Oracle and Canonical (Ubuntu), all of which have made significant investments to provide Linux as a cloud service .
Asay is not wrong. Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure are perhaps the companies that will determine the winners and losers of the Linux business. After all, we must not forget that Azure has many more Linux instances than Windows servers. Maybe MS-RHEL isn’t so fancy after all.
Source: “ZDNet.com”