Content warning: https://gadgeteer.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/RedHat-400x300.jpg Red Hat has decided to stop making the source code of RHEL available to the public. From now on it will only be available to customers — who can’t legally share it. This is very […]
ht
Red Hat has decided to stop making the source code of RHEL available to the public. From now on it will only be available to customers — who can’t legally share it. This is very bad news for downstream projects which rebuild the RHEL source code to produce compatible distributions, such as AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, EuroLinux, and Oracle Unbreakable Linux.
The core difference is that CentOS Stream is upstream of RHEL: it’s what will become the next point release of RHEL. It’s a sort of continuous rolling beta of the next version of RHEL. Alma, Rocky, and so on, and the former CentOS Linux, were downstream of RHEL: they were rebuilds from the same source code, guaranteeing perfect compatibility (and stability).
Red Hat is still “complying” legally with the GPL in that they do provide the source code to their customers, but that code may not be shared further by anyone else.
It does sound like there may be also a sort of workaround for the downstream distros, but it’s not ideal. So we’re going to have to see how they respond with their plans going forward.
Red Hat was acquired by IBM in 2019, and apart from this move, there have also been some layoffs made at Red Hat (as with many other global companies).
There an hot discussion on a fsf mailing list on the feasibility of the "customers can't legally share the source code" part. I'm following it to see how it ends up
@paoloredaelli Any Linux distribution is covered by a very wide range of licenses but the parts covered by GPL are theoretically redistributable due to clause 2 but this clause has never been tested in courtAFAICT at least not in the US. If IBM/redhat don’t back down this could get interesting but be in court for years.
Paolo Redaelli
in reply to Danie • • •I'm following it to see how it ends up
Marty Fouts
in reply to Paolo Redaelli • • •