Red Hat Linux: Difference between revisions

{{distinguish|Fedora Core Linux|Red Hat Enterprise Linux}}

| caption = [[GNOME]] 2|GNOME 2.2]], the default desktop on Red Hat Linux 9

| family = [[Linux]] ([[Unix-like]])

| released = {{releasestart date and age|1995|05|13}}

| latest_release_versionlatest release version = 9{{wikidata|property|references|edit|Q220182|P348}} ''alias'' Shrike

'''Red Hat Linux''' was a widely used [[Commercial software|commercial]] [[Open-source software|open-source]] [[Linux distribution]] created by [[Red Hat]] until its discontinuation in 2004. <ref>{{cite web|title=Free_Versions_of_Red_Hat_Linux_to_be_DiscontinuedFree Versions of Red Hat Linux to be Discontinued|url=http://www.fusionauthority.com/news/3946-free-versions-of-red-hat-linux-to-be-discontinued.htm|publisher=fusionauthority.com|access-date=2008-03-02|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207100441/http://www.fusionauthority.com/news/3946-free-versions-of-red-hat-linux-to-be-discontinued.htm|archive-date=2012-02-07}}</ref>

Early releases of Red Hat Linux were called '''Red Hat Commercial Linux'''. Red Hat published the first non-beta release in May 1995.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/History_of_Red_Hat_Linux?rd=History|title = History of Red Hat Linux|access-date = 2018-07-14}}</ref><ref name = "smoogespace">{{cite web|url = https://www.smoogespace.com/documents/behind_the_names.html|publisher=smoogespace.com|title = The Truth Behind Red Hat/Fedora Names|access-date = 2018-07-14}}</ref> It was the first Linux distribution to useincluded the [[RPM Package Manager|Red Hat Package Manager]] as its packaging format, and over time RPM has served as the starting point for several other distributions, such as [[Mandriva Linux]] and [[Yellow Dog Linux]].

In 2003, Red Hat discontinued the Red Hat Linux line in favor of [[Red Hat Enterprise Linux]] (RHEL) for enterprise environments. [[Fedora Linux]], developed by the community-supported [[Fedora Project]] and sponsored by Red Hat, is a free-of-cost alternative intended for home use. Red Hat Linux 9, the final release, hit its official end-of-life on April 30, 2004, although updates were published for it through 2006 by the [[Fedora Legacy]] project until thatthe shutupdates downwere discontinued in early 2007.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Fedora Legacy Project|url=http://www.fedoralegacy.org/|publisher=fedoralegacy.org|access-date=2008-03-02|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130905040726/http://www.fedoralegacy.org/|archive-date=2013-09-05}}</ref>

Version 3.0.3 was one of the first Linux distributions to support [[Executable and Linkable Format|ELF]] (Executable and Linkable Format) binaries instead of the older [[a.out]] format.<ref>[http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/139 Linux Distributions Compared], Linux Journal, 1996</ref>

In version 6 Red Hat moved to [[GNU C Library|glibc]] 2.1, [[Enhanced GNU Compiler System|egcs-1.2]], and to the 2.2 kernel.<ref name = "smoogespace"/> It was the first version to use the [[GNOME]] as its default graphical environment.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.linuxjournal.com/article/3590 |title=Red Hat Linux 6.0 |last=Kroll |first=Jason |date=September 1, 1999 |publisher=[[Linux Journal]] |access-date=April 14, 2023}}</ref> It also introduced [[Kudzu (computer daemon)|Kudzu]], a software library for automatic discovery and configuration of hardware.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://everything2.com/title/kudzu |title=Various Kudzu facts |publisher=Everything2.com |access-date=2013-05-05}}</ref>

In particular, the use of a non-released version of GCC caused some criticism, e.g. from [[Linus Torvalds]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2000-12-14-002-21-NW-RH-SW|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222204453/https://www.linuxtoday.com/developer/2000121400221NWRHSW |archive-date=22 December 2019 |url-status=dead |title=Linus Weighs in on Red Hat 7 Compiler Issues |publisher=Linux Today |access-date=2013-05-05}}</ref> and the GCC Steering Committee;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gcc.gnu.org/ml/gcc-announce/2000/msg00003.html |title=Gerald Pfeifer - GCC 2.96 |publisher=Gcc.gnu.org |date=2000-10-06 |access-date=2013-05-05}}</ref> Red Hat was forced to defend theirthis decision.<ref>[http://features.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/10/12/163218&mode=thread An Open Letter From Bob Young], Slashdot.org, Thu October 12, 2000 12:52 PM</ref>

Red Hat Linux lacked many features due to possible [[copyright]] and [[patent]] problems. For example, [[MP3]] support was disabled in both [[Rhythmbox]] and [[XMMS]]; instead, Red Hat recommended using [[Vorbis|Ogg Vorbis]], which has no patents. MP3 support, however, could be installed afterwards, althoughthrough [[royalties]]the areuse requiredof everywhere MP3 is patentedpackages.{{Citation needed|date=May 2008}} Support for Microsoft's [[NTFS]] [[file system]] was also missing, but could be freely installed as well.

Release dates were drawn from announcements on ''comp.os.linux.announce''. Version names are chosen as to be cognitively related to the prior release, yet not related in the same way as the release before that.<ref name = "smoogespace"></ref><ref>[http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/History_of_Red_Hat_Linux History of Red Hat Linux] - Fedora wiki</ref>

* [[ListFedora ofLinux Fedorarelease versionshistory]]