How AlmaLinux Rose from CentOS's Ashes

05/21/25 • 50 min

Join me for an in-depth conversation with benny Vasquez, Chair of the AlmaLinux OS Foundation, as we explore the fallout from Red Hat's controversial licensing changes and how AlmaLinux emerged as a community-driven solution. We discuss the technical differences between CentOS Stream, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and AlmaLinux, the importance of open source governance, and the challenges of maintaining a stable enterprise Linux distribution. Whether you're a system administrator affected by these changes or simply interested in the evolving open source landscape, this interview offers valuable insights into the future of enterprise Linux. Techlore empowers individuals with practical digital privacy knowledge, security tools, and advocacy resources. Discover how to protect your online data and regain control of your digital identity.

Guest Information:

• AlmaLinux: https://almalinux.org/

• benny LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bennyvasquez/

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to benny and AlmaLinux

02:48 Explaining What is AlmaLinux and Its Origins

06:05 The Evolution of Linux Distribution Flow (Fedora to CentOS)

10:00 Why Choose AlmaLinux Over Other Alternatives

14:00 Red Hat's License Changes and Their Impact

20:20 Exploring the Open Source Philosophy Challenges

24:40 Migrating from CentOS to AlmaLinux

29:40 Linux for Video Editing and Compatibility Issues

32:01 AlmaLinux Organization Structure

36:20 The Non-Profit Foundation Approach

41:35 benny's Journey with Alma Linux

46:40 Daily Driver OS Preferences and Linux Desktop Recommendations

48:45 Desktop Environment Recommendations for Linux Beginners

49:56 Long-Term Vision for AlmaLinux

50:28 Closing Remarks and How to Support Techlore

—

Keep Techlore Independent:

• Become a Techlorian: https://discuss.techlore.tech/s

• Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/techlore

• YouTube Memberships: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs6KfncB4OV6Vug4o_bzijg/join

• Affiliate Links: https://techlore.tech/affiliates

• All Support Methods: https://techlore.tech/support

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest Information:

• AlmaLinux: https://almalinux.org/

• benny LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bennyvasquez/

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to benny and AlmaLinux

02:48 Explaining What is AlmaLinux and Its Origins

06:05 The Evolution of Linux Distribution Flow (Fedora to CentOS)

10:00 Why Choose AlmaLinux Over Other Alternatives

14:00 Red Hat's License Changes and Their Impact

20:20 Exploring the Open Source Philosophy Challenges

24:40 Migrating from CentOS to AlmaLinux

29:40 Linux for Video Editing and Compatibility Issues

32:01 AlmaLinux Organization Structure

36:20 The Non-Profit Foundation Approach

41:35 benny's Journey with Alma Linux

46:40 Daily Driver OS Preferences and Linux Desktop Recommendations

48:45 Desktop Environment Recommendations for Linux Beginners

49:56 Long-Term Vision for AlmaLinux

50:28 Closing Remarks and How to Support Techlore

—

Keep Techlore Independent:

• Become a Techlorian: https://discuss.techlore.tech/s

• Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/techlore

• YouTube Memberships: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs6KfncB4OV6Vug4o_bzijg/join

• Affiliate Links: https://techlore.tech/affiliates

• All Support Methods: https://techlore.tech/support

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

PrivacyPost - Protecting Your Real Life Privacy!

This interview dives deep with Dallas, the owner of PrivacyPost.io, to explore the world of secure mail forwarding in the US. We'll unpack the complexities of CMRA vs. residential addresses, the growing importance of end-to-end encryption, and how PrivacyPost caters to digital nomads, RVers, and anyone seeking enhanced privacy with some clever South Dakota workflows!

Guest information:

PrivacyPost: https://privacypost.io

WorldPost: https://worldpost.io

—

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro

0:42 Guest Introduction

3:05 What organisations do you run?

6:03 What service are you providing?

7:47 What separates PrivacyPost from other mail services?

11:10 What’s the intersection between the privacy community, digital nomad community, and RVers?

16:22 What’s the best solution for most people?

20:44 Why are residential addresses so important?

24:55 How does wealth affect your address privacy strategy?

27:51 Why is South Dakota special?

31:26 Are there benefits to PrivacyPost for non South Dakota residents?

33:55 Do you need to spend the majority of time in South Dakota to get a residential address there?

36:50 How does PrivacyPost work?

51:08 Does PrivacyPost manually send your mail E2EE?

57:09 Why do you run two services WorldPost & PrivacyPost?

1:00:40 Does PrivacyPost have access to your 1583 form and other personal info?

1:03:53 What’s the status of your warrant canary?

1:10:37 Please don’t use abuse Worldpost.io

1:16:45 How to get in contact with Dallas from PrivacyPost.io

—

If you enjoy Techlore Talks consider joining our Patreon so we can keep improving! https://patreon.com/techlore

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you like this episode you’ll love

ITSPmagazine Podcasts

Aspen Ideas to Go

TED Talks Daily (SD video)

The Edtech Podcast

The Torch: The Great Courses Podcast

Episode Comments

Generate a badge

Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode

Select type & size

Copy