FLOSS Weekly Episode 821 is a conversation about Rocky Linux: its origins, history, future direction, and the relationship between CIQ and the Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation (RESF). Published February 18, 2025, the episode features Jonathan Bennett, Gregory Kurtzer, and Krista Burdine. Its listing establishes those topics, but not the guests’ detailed answers.
What Episode 821 covers
The episode listing frames the discussion around where Rocky Linux came from, where it is going, and the connection between CIQ and RESF. A transcript listing says the episode was recorded Tuesday, February 11, 2025, and introduces the scope as “where it’s been, where it’s going.” The available description is a brief summary rather than a verified full transcript, so it should not be used to attribute particular opinions or explanations to the guests.
Episode references: Listen Notes transcript listing, Amazon Music listing, and Hackaday episode description.
Why Rocky Linux began
Rocky Linux’s official history traces the project to Red Hat’s December 8, 2020 announcement that it would discontinue CentOS as a production-ready downstream of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), with CentOS Stream taking its place. Gregory Kurtzer then announced a project intended to pursue CentOS’s original goals. Rocky Linux’s first stable release, version 8.4, followed on June 21, 2021.
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The name honors Rocky McGaugh, an early CentOS co-founder. Kurtzer explained the tribute: “Thinking back to early CentOS days… My cofounder was Rocky McGaugh. He is no longer with us, so as a H/T to him, who never got to see the success that CentOS came to be, I introduce to you…Rocky Linux.” The project’s history and this statement are on the Rocky Linux About page.
CIQ and RESF: what the listing establishes
Rocky Linux says it is hosted by the Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation (RESF). The Episode 821 description identifies the CIQ–RESF connection as a discussion topic, but the listing alone does not establish the full governance, corporate, or financial relationship between them. For that reason, the episode summary is useful for understanding what the show set out to discuss, not as evidence of specific organizational arrangements.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Rocky Linux support lifecycle
Rocky Linux documents a ten-year lifecycle for each major release: five years of active support followed by five years of security maintenance. Support applies to the latest minor release within a major version; earlier minor releases are superseded, moved to the vault, and no longer supported. Check the official Rocky Releases page for current versions, architectures, and dates, since these can change.
On the official releases page consulted for this article, the latest listed minors were Rocky Linux 8.10, 9.8, and 10.2. The same page listed end-of-life dates of May 31, 2029 for Rocky Linux 8; May 31, 2032 for Rocky Linux 9; and May 31, 2035 for Rocky Linux 10. These are page-listed support dates, not a guarantee that an older minor release remains supported.
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