CentOS is a Linux Distribution designed for enterprise use. It offers a stable and reliable platform for running critical applications and can be customized for various use cases.
CentOS is a completely free project that's managed by the cAos Foundation. An active user community supports the small team of core developers who are responsible for its development. This user community comprises system administrators, network administrators, core Linux contributors, managers, enterprise users, as well as Linux enthusiasts from around the world.
Compared to other clone projects, CentOS possesses several advantages, such as an active and growing user community, numerous free support avenues such as IRC chat, forums, mailing lists, a dynamic FAQ, among others. Additionally, its rebuilds of errata packages are quickly tested and QA'ed, and the project boasts an extensive mirror network. It's also possible to acquire commercial support for the platform through certain vendors.
This high-end Linux distribution exists to offer a free enterprise-class computing platform to anyone who's interested in using it. CentOS 2 and 3 are fully compatible rebuilds of RHEL 2 and 3, respectively. They are both reproduced from the freely distributed RHEL sources by RedHat, and every redistribution requirement set out by RedHat is fully complied with.
Individuals who require an enterprise-class OS but don't need the certification, cost, brand name, or support of RedHat can utilize CentOS 2 and 3 to satisfy their needs.
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