In this episode, Scott Hanselman sits down with Benny Vasquez, Chair of the AlmaLinux OS Foundation, to explore the project's journey since the shift away from CentOS. Benny shares insights into how AlmaLinux stays community-driven, transparent, and enterprise-ready—all while navigating the evolving world of open-source licensing. It's a candid and thoughtful conversation about trust, sustainability, and what it takes to build an OS that listens to its users.

https://www.almalinux.org

Key Topics

Introduction to Benny Vasquez and AlmaLinux (00:07.87)
The Evolution of CentOS and Birth of AlmaLinux (01:00.03)
The Role of CentOS Stream and Enterprise Linux Ecosystem (03:27.08)
Why AlmaLinux Stepped In and the Red Hat Source Code Shift (05:19.77)
Differences Between AlmaLinux and Red Hat (08:33.74)
Open Source Governance and Neutrality in AlmaLinux (14:05.99)
Sustainability and Longevity of the AlmaLinux Project (24:07.31)
Adopting AlmaLinux for VFX and Desktop Use (26:37.99)
The Importance of Hardware Support and Adaptability (28:14.02)
Upcoming Events: AlmaLinux Day Vancouver (33:48.05)

Main Takeaways

Community-Driven Replacement for CentOS: AlmaLinux emerged as a community-driven distro to fill the gap left by CentOS after Red Hat's change in focus, ensuring enterprise-grade Linux remains accessible.
Open and Neutral Governance: AlmaLinux prioritizes a meritocratic and community-focused governance structure to maintain independence and serve diverse user needs.
Adaptability and Innovation: By addressing omitted features and bugs faster than traditional vendors, AlmaLinux thrives as a flexible solution for enterprises and personal use, offering extended hardware support.
Commitment to Longevity and Sustainability: The AlmaLinux OS Foundation is focused on creating a project that outlasts its current contributors by setting up governance for long-term stability.
Embracing Enterprise and Desktop Markets: Though AlmaLinux is enterprise-focused, it demonstrates significant adoption in both server and desktop environments, especially in industries like VFX.

Notable Quotes

"AlmaLinux emerged to fill a void, ensuring enterprise-grade Linux users didn’t lose their stability and compatibility." – benny Vasquez

"The key for us is not just building compatibility with Red Hat but allowing for innovation and hardware support that suits the community’s needs." – benny Vasquez

"We have to maintain neutrality in our governance so that no one organization can unduly influence AlmaLinux." – benny Vasquez

"Making it independent in a way that it will outlast me and all of the current contributors is the ultimate success for me." – benny Vasquez

"Linux is known for not leaving folks behind, and that’s an ethos we adhere to with AlmaLinux." – benny Vasquez

Resources Mentioned

AlmaLinux.org: https://almalinux.org (Download and contribute to the project)
AlmaLinux Day Vancouver (August 9th): https://almalinux.org/blog/
SIGGRAPH Conference: https://s2023.siggraph.org/

Additional Mentions

Fedora Project
WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux)
Azure and AWS sponsorships
ThinkPads and Linux Distros

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