[sf-lug] Rocky Linux 8.5 released at Distrowatch.

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Bobbie Sellers (bliss-sf4ever at dslextreme.com):

> Final check tonight and I found that Rocky Linux 8.5 has been released
> which may be of special interest to some members and which is another
> replacement for the soon to be discontinued CentOS....

Umm... that isn't quite correct.

CentOS 7 will continue to have full support to June 30, 2024, which is
not really what I'd call "soon".  CentOS 8's updates end in a month and
a half, at the end of this year.  However, there will be a supported and
smooth continuation of CentOS 8 in the form of CentOS Stream 8.

CentOS Stream 9 is, last I heard, just about out in parallel to the
related RHEL9 release.  (I don't follow RHAT closely, though.)

Many traditional CentOS users, such as large data centre customers, have
decided for now that they are seeking alternatives to CentOS Stream
because they prefer what current CentOS has offered, an exact unbranded
RHEL, recompiled to remove RHAT branding.  But to a large degree, CentOS
Stream _is_ CentOS, just with a different development model.

There's a FAQ. https://www.redhat.com/en/blog/faq-centos-stream-updates
And an article by Chris Wright.
https://www.redhat.com/en/blog/centos-stream-building-innovative-future-enterprise-linux

Rocky Linux 8.5 is likely to please traditional CentOS users, being
unbranded RHEL8 Update 5 (aka 8.5) produced by building the RHEL source
RPMs independently.