CloudLinux has named the free CentOS replacement AlmaLinux,
which will be available in the first quarter this year. Previously, it was
code-named Project Lenix.
CloudLinux announced the
drop-in CentOS alternative last month, committing $1 million annually in
development.
“The demise of the CentOS stable release left a very large
gap in the Linux community which prompted CloudLinux to step in and launch a
CentOS alternative,” said Igor Seletskiy, CEO and founder of CloudLinux Inc.. “For CloudLinux it was an obvious move: the Linux community was in need, and
the CloudLinux OS is a CentOS clone with significant pedigree – including over
200,000 active server instances. AlmaLinux is built with CloudLinux expertise
but will be owned and governed by the community. We intend to deliver this
forever-free Linux distribution this quarter.”
AlmaLinux references the Latin-language word for soul.
CloudLinux chose the name AlmaLinux in honor of the tireless efforts of the
Linux community, efforts that started with Linus Torvalds’ first Linux kernel
release in 1991. The diverse individuals and organizations that constitute the
Linux community have developed Linux into a flexible operating system (OS)
kernel that powers everything from desktops to enterprise servers. Go to https://almalinux.org/ for more information.
In delivering AlmaLinux to the community, CloudLinux pivots
off its existing, established Linux expertise. The team at CloudLinux has spent
10 years building, developing, and supporting the CloudLinux OS. CloudLinux OS
supports enterprise-scale server fleets in the cloud and is in itself a version
of CentOS, the free RHEL fork.
“Why alma? Just like every developer and every user that
relies on a Linux-powered OS, we at CloudLinux benefit from the dedicated and
often selfless efforts of the Linux community. This community is the soul of
Linux. In the spirit of the Linux community, we decided to name our new
distribution AlmaLinux”, said Seletskiy.
Following Red Hat’s December 2020 announcement that the
CentOS stable release is no longer under development, CloudLinux launched a
project to deliver a drop-in replacement. The project was code-named Project
Lenix.
Project Lenix has now crystallized into AlmaLinux, a 1:1
binary compatible fork of RHEL 8, with an effortless migration path from CentOS
to AlmaLinux. Future RHEL releases will also be forked into a new AlmaLinux release.
CloudLinux backs AlmaLinux with $1 million annual investment in development,
and a commitment to supporting AlmaLinux through 2029.
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