“AlmaLinux chair explains omission from OpenELA and differences with profit-driven members”
As the chair of AlmaLinux, Benny Vasquez recently shared the reason for the foundation’s absence from the Open Enterprise Linux Association (OpenELA) – they simply never received an invite. Despite being a key player in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) ecosystem, Vasquez believes that AlmaLinux’s non-profit status may have played a role in the organization not being included in the association.
Vasquez also pointed out the differing motivations between AlmaLinux and the for-profit companies that make up the OpenELA. While SUSE, Oracle, and CIQ, the entity behind Rocky Linux, are driven by financial gain, AlmaLinux’s goal is to continue the community-driven legacy of CentOS.
“With AlmaLinux, our focus is not on making a profit, but rather on preserving the essence of CentOS and making it even better,” Vasquez stated in an interview with ITPro. “We want to provide a reliable, stable operating system that meets the needs of our users and improves upon what existed before.”
The recent announcement of the OpenELA has caused quite a stir in the Enterprise Linux community, with Vasquez calling it the “epicenter of drama.” She also speculates that Red Hat was well aware of the backlash their decision to restrict RHEL’s source code would receive, but was ultimately driven by profit.
“Red Hat is a business, and their ultimate goal is to make money,” Vasquez explains. “Even if there is negative feedback from the community, they will prioritize their financial interests.”
CentOS users were left scrambling for alternatives after Red Hat announced the discontinuation of the popular free version of RHEL. While Rocky Linux quickly announced their plans to acquire the RHEL source code, Vasquez states that AlmaLinux took their time to assess the situation before making any decisions.
“We took the time to thoroughly evaluate our options and make a well-informed decision,” Vasquez says. “We are confident in our approach and are committed to maintaining compatibility through ABI and API rather than simply copying RHEL’s binary code.”
The fragmentation caused by Red Hat’s actions is a hot topic in the Enterprise Linux world, and Vasquez believes it will lead to positive outcomes in the long run.
“With different options emerging in the market, I believe we will see more innovation and excitement,” Vasquez says. “Breaking away from a single dominant player will allow for more exploration and improvement in the Enterprise Linux sector.”
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