this post was submitted on 25 Jun 2023
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Linux
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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I'm not new to linux but the GPL seems quite complicated and I couldn't even tell you which GPL Redhat subscribe to without going to check.
RHEL may not be going 'closed source' but they are closing down the channels to access the code and will prosecute any customers who distribute the code.
Have they actually stated this, or is it just an opinion? Because my understanding of the GPL is that it would violate the license to put that restriction on their customers.
Another poster brought this up. The tooling used to construct the distribution itself isn't GPL code.
Couldn't it be that RH are taking about banning accounts that share non-GPL code from their distribution? Given their upstream contribution history, it seems unlikely to me that they would throw a fit over GPL source files they probably already distributed in some form in CentOS Stream.
Earning cash on free software code isn't a crime. RH clearly is frustrated with the existence of Oracle EL etc al, and want to make it more difficult for enterprise competitors to leverage their person-hours. As long as they continue to share source with the people given access to the binaries, I'll keep an open mind about this change.