Why can't I find a free download of Red Hat?

[videogenie]

I posted a question about this some weeks ago but still can't clearly see what Red Hat's policy is.

In this reply to one of my posts a few weeks back, the poster clarified for me that Red Hat is free to download, within a 30-day evaluation period. But what happens after that 30-day period? Can I continue to use and test it? If not, that would seem to contradict the poster's reply "you pay for is services e.g. updates, technical support".

You can charge for opensource software if you wish. What Red Hat do is provide the software and source code free (you can download RHEL when you sign up to the 30 day evaluation), but what you pay for is services e.g. updates, technical support etc.


Also, Red Hat say that the system has two sockets? Would I be correct in saying this would only allow (say) two people to simultaneously collect e-mail from it, or to telnet to it?

www.redhat.com/apps/download

[rokytnji]

CentOS is the free version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux

www.centos.org - The Community ENTerprise Operating System

[videogenie]

Thanks for that. My question is about Red Hat, because it is Red Hat that I want to use. I do not want to use CentOS - only Red Hat.

I'll put it another way. Can I download and keep running Red Hat Enterprise indefinitely without paying subscriptions, accepting of course that I won't get support and updates?

I feel I ought to be able to get a simple answer on this, because for years I used to see Red Hat books in the shops, containing a free CD of Red Hat. They were never time-limited to my knowledge.

[HROAdmin26]

RedHat will not give you a download link without a subscription/demo purchase. However, if you get your hands on the install media some other way and install it, you can run it without registering with RH. You will have no access to their repositories or updates.

* And you are confusing the old "desktop" RedHat Linux with the current ENTERPRISE distro - RedHat Enterprise Linux (RHEL.) The desktop distro is as always freely available and is called Fedora. The last RedHat desktop distro was 9 (Shrike) back in 2003. You can Google for more info.

[Lazydog]

If you really want REDHAT then I would do as stated above and DL CentOS, which I use without issues.
CentOS is REDHAT SRPMS complied with the removal of RH TM.

If you really want REDHATt hen you have a few options open to you.

1. Buy the rights
2. Find a CD some place.
3. download the SRPMS and build it.

That's about all you can do.
Just remember that if you go the SRPMS route then you will need to DL all updates and build them yourself.

[techieMoe]

Thanks for that. My question is about Red Hat, because it is Red Hat that I want to use. I do not want to use CentOS - only Red Hat.

The only difference between Redhat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and CentOS is the Redhat logos. Because Redhat Enterprise Linux is based on GNU GPL licensed code, they must freely distribute the source for their distribution.

The CentOS group simply downloads this source code and compiles it for you, creating what is essentially a clone of RHEL. In order to do this they must remove any Redhat corporate logos or artwork, but that's pretty much all that's missing from the OS itself.

I feel I ought to be able to get a simple answer on this, because for years I used to see Red Hat books in the shops, containing a free CD of Red Hat. They were never time-limited to my knowledge.

As someone mentioned above, you're confusing the old Redhat desktop distribution with Redhat Enterprise Linux, which is a different product. Redhat as a company no longer sells or distributes desktop software for end-users, only licenses workstations and servers for corporations. The last consumer-oriented desktop from the Redhat company was Redhat 9 in March of 2003.

The closest thing to the old style Redhat desktop is the Fedora Project, which is free-of-charge, free to download, and based (loosely) on the code used for Redhat Enterprise, with a lot of new stuff added to it. Often times Fedora is far ahead in features and new programs than RHEL, and improvements made in Fedora eventually (though slowly) get integrated into the corporate product.

[videogenie]

Many thanks - you guys have answered all my questions in those posts. And more too!

Basically, the only reason I wanted Red Hat was because the database software I want (D3 Pick) says it needs Red Hat. It doesn't say "or any system based on Red Hat". From what you've written, CentOS will work and the database will be unaware that it isn't running Red Hat.

I am also an Ubuntu user and have been for over a year. I love it. But the D3 software requires Red Hat, so that's what I shall need to go for, albeit probably the CentOS distro.

Thanks again.