New Horizons for EL: OpenELA Publishes Package Sources

posted by on Nov 03, 2023,
updated Nov 17, 2023

The Open Enterprise Linux Association (OpenELA) was founded less than three months ago by CIQ (a sponsor of Rocky Linux), Oracle, and SUSE in response to Red Hat’s move to limit access to the source code of its operating system.

Its primary mission is to provide and make freely available the source code for all downstream RHEL-based distributions, with an initial focus on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 and 9, with RHEL 7 also expected to be included. And the first fruits of these efforts are visible now.

In a significant move for the Enterprise Linux community, OpenELA has announced the public availability of a comprehensive collection of Enterprise Linux source code, promising to enhance collaboration and foster innovation within the open-source distributions compatible with RHEL.

Read on

The Register:

• OpenELA flips Red Hat the bird with public release of Enterprise Linux source

  The OpenELA team this week trumpeted public release of the Enterprise Linux source code and formation of a technical steering committee.

  The Open Enterprise Linux Association (OpenELA) was formed in August as a direct response to Red Hat's decision to change access to the source code of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). A trade association headed by CIQ, SUSE, and Oracle, the group intends to encourage the development of distributions compatible with RHEL by providing open and free Enterprise Linux (EL) source code.

A press release:

• OpenELA Announces Release of Enterprise Linux Source Code to Public

A couple more links:

• OpenELA Marks Major Milestones in Governance and Code Availability

• OpenELA's first code drop

  The Open Enterprise Linux Association, a joint venture founded by CIQ, Oracle, and SUSE, has announced its first code release.

ZDNet:

• CIQ, Oracle, and SUSE unite behind OpenELA to take on Red Bait Enterprise Linux

  The day has come. As promised, three major business GNU/Linux companies have released the code for OpenELA, their challenge to RHEL.

In Slashdot:

• 2023-11-03 [Older] CIQ, Oracle and SUSE Unite Behind OpenELA To Take on Red Hat Enterprise Linux

• 2023-11-03 [Older] OpenELA Drops First RHEL, 'Enterprise Linux' Compatible Source Code

Linux Magazine:

• OpenELA Releases Enterprise Linux Source Code

  OpenELA was formed by CIQ (the company behind Rocky Linux), Oracle, and SUSE with a singular purpose, "...the development of distributions compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) by providing open and free enterprise Linux source code."

  That time has arrived and the initial release of the OpenELA source code is now available.

  But why is this happening? According to CIQ, "The decision to establish OpenELA wasn't made in isolation. It was a direct answer to the challenges posed by Red Hat's recent policy shifts. At CIQ, we've always believed in the power of collaboration and open access."

Some more on this:

• Open enterprise Linux alternatives initiative

  Following Red Hat’s decision to alter its code distribution approach, three significant Linux firms – CIQ, Oracle, and SUSE – have established the Open Enterprise Linux Alternatives (OpenELA) initiative. The formation of OpenELA comes from Red Hat’s strategic shift, given that certain businesses depend on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) code for their distributions. The main objective of the initiative is to encourage the creation of RHEL-compatible distributions, offering a more attainable option in the enterprise sector. This collaboration ensures RHEL users are not left without viable alternatives, preserving the open-source principles that have driven Linux’s success. By fostering the development of these compatible distributions, OpenELA effectively empowers businesses to make well-informed decisions and maintain efficient systems while upholding the spirit of open-source software.

The Register by Liam Proven:

• SUSE CTO talks about OpenELA and keeping customer trust

  SUSE is serious about Linux in the enterprise, so much so that the veteran penguin-botherer is willing to risk the ire of Red Hat with OpenELA and the offer of CentOS support for users that just can't let go of the soon-to-be end-of-life operating system.

  Despite the company's efforts to show off updates made to Rancher, the formation of the Open Enterprise Linux Association (OpenELA) has continued to grab the limelight.

  Speaking to The Register at the North America Kubecon event, SUSE chief technology and product officer Thomas Di Giacomo Di Giacomo says of the company's motivations for the move: "We believe in open source and making the software available to everyone.

IEEE:

• SUSE, Oracle, and CIQ team up after Red Hat's strategic changes

  Stephen Cass: Hello and welcome to Fixing the Future, an IEEE Spectrum podcast where we look at concrete solutions to some big problems.