Jul
23

Oracle Linux: A better alternative to CentOS

oralogo-smallAn interesting battle between Oracle Linux distribution and CentOS. Oracle is encouraging people to switch to OEL, claiming 100% compatibility with RedHat and faster security patch release than CentOS.

We firmly believe that Oracle Linux is the best Linux distribution on the market today. It's reliable, it's affordable, it's 100% compatible with your existing applications, and it gives you access to some of the most cutting-edge innovations in Linux like Ksplice and dtrace.

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CentOS community has quickly responded to the allegations of slow update releases, stating that updates actually come out earlier than Oracle claims:

Red Hat Bug IDRed Hat Fix releasedCentOS Fix releasedOracle Fix releasedDifference (days)
2012-0743 18-Jun-2012 19-Jun-2012 21-Jun-2012 2
2012-0571 15-May-2012 16-May-2012 21-May-2012 5
2012-0481 17-Apr-2012 17-Apr-2012 23-Apr-2012 6
2012-0350 6-Mar-2012 7-Mar-2012 12-Mar-2012 5
2012-0124 13-Feb-2012 14-Feb-2012 14-Feb-2012 0
2012-0052 23-Jan-2012 24-Jan-2012 25-Jan-2012 1

The final decision is up to the user, but if a free distribution (with no hidden fees or later surprises) is the ultimate goal, it's probably best to stick to CentOS.