The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source Dear Red Hat... (Friends)
Jul 14, 2023
Jeff Geerling, a prominent figure in the Ansible community and a critic of Red Hat's recent subscription model, shares his passionate insights on the turmoil surrounding RHEL. He discusses the backlash from the open-source community and the potential rise of alternatives like Rocky Linux and SUSE’s ambitious fork. The conversation dives into the implications of commercialization in open-source software and the impact of corporate decisions on trust within the community. Geerling's candid remarks highlight the ongoing tension between innovation and corporate strategy.
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Disingenuous Messaging
- Red Hat's messaging about CentOS Stream and its benefits seemed disingenuous to many CentOS users.
- Many sysadmins and homelabbers transitioned to Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux because of CentOS's discontinuation.
CentOS 8 Migration
- Jeff Geerling migrated his work to CentOS 8, only for Red Hat to announce its discontinuation shortly after.
- This eroded trust, especially as he was consulting for Red Hat at the time and couldn't voice his concerns publicly.
Downstreams as Leeches
- Red Hat compares Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux to AWS, accusing them of providing zero value and being leeches.
- This comparison highlights Red Hat's perspective on downstreams as detrimental to their business.