Open source strikes back at Red Hat

The cool thing about open source is, well, that it's open source. You don't have to go in and fumble the source code, you can just as well put it through a compiler and create a working application.

That's exactly what the makers of CentOS are doing, as Cnet describes.

By doing so, they create a version of Red Hat Linux they don't have to pay for– Red Hat itself only ships its operating system bundled with support and for a fee.

You shouldn't expect to see an Oracle database run on the cloned Red Hat Linux any time soon however. Developers still have to make tiny tweaks to the software – such as removing the Red Hat logos, which in turn leads to a requirement to get the software certified all over again.

But for test environments or for people who want to run a free version of Red Hat Linux at home, CentOS offers a great alternative for the real thing.