The open source community recently witnessed a significant development when CIQ, Oracle, and SUSE announced their intention to form the Open Enterprise Linux Association (OpenELA). The primary goal of this collaborative trade association is to encourage the creation of distributions compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). They aim to achieve this by providing open and free Enterprise Linux (EL) source code.
This initiative is a direct response to the recent changes made by Red Hat to their RHEL source code availability. Oracle, SUSE, and CIQ are collaborating to provide source code, tools, and systems through OpenELA to meet the needs of the community. The formation of OpenELA highlights the importance of collaboration in fostering innovation and upholding open community standards.
OpenELA is set to provide the necessary sources for RHEL-compatible downstreams to exist, with an initial focus on RHEL versions EL8, EL9 and possibly EL7. The project has committed to ensuring the continued availability of OpenELA sources to the community indefinitely. OpenELA's core principles include full compliance with the existing standard, swift updates and secure fixes, transparency, and ensuring the resource remains free and redistributable for all.
Community-Driven Standard for Enterprise Linux
OpenELA aims to build a robust, community-driven standard that ensures impartiality and equilibrium in the EL ecosystem. It is inviting other organizations and community members to join and contribute actively to this goal. OpenELA is not just about providing open-source code; it's about upholding the spirit of open source and ensuring continuity for all Enterprise Linux downstream distributions.
OpenELA will only be producing source code, not its own binary distribution. Members and anyone interested can create their own EL-compatible distributions from the code. OpenELA will be delivering all sources necessary to achieve a 1:1 / bug-for-bug compatible version of EL, compatibility guidelines for downstream distributions to test their build results, and a branding kit for all downstream distributions and supporters.
OpenELA: A Secure, Transparent, and Reliable Linux Source
OpenELA claims its mission revolves around offering a secure, transparent, and reliable Linux source that's accessible globally. The initial OpenELA board of directors will include equal representation from its founding entities, CIQ, Oracle, and SUSE. The group will also welcome other organizations and community members to help "build a robust, community-driven standard that ensures impartiality and equilibrium in the RHEL ecosystem."
In the words of Thomas Di Giacomo, chief technology, and product officer of SUSE, "Collaboration is critical to fostering innovation, which is why we welcome everyone to be part of this association and help us uphold open community standards." Gregory Kurtzer, CEO of CIQ, echoed this sentiment, marking the announcement as the beginning of a new era for Enterprise Linux.
OpenELA is a significant step forward in the open source community, offering a secure, transparent, and reliable Linux source that's accessible to all. It embodies the spirit of collaboration and innovation, fostering a stronger future for Enterprise Linux. The formation of OpenELA is a testament to the power of the open source community and the importance of collaboration in driving forward technological advancement.