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Red Hat Enterprise Linux VS DistroWatch

Compare Red Hat Enterprise Linux VS DistroWatch and see what are their differences

Red Hat Enterprise Linux logo Red Hat Enterprise Linux

Red Hat Enterprise Linux is an open source operating system that is certified on hundreds of clouds & with thousands of hardware & software vendors.

DistroWatch logo DistroWatch

9 hours ago - It does include a proprietary software set optimized for business users, students, researchers and developers." A list of features and further details can be found in the company's release announcement.
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-22
  • DistroWatch Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-26

Red Hat Enterprise Linux features and specs

  • Stability
    Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is known for its stability and reliability, making it suitable for critical business environments that require consistent performance.
  • Support
    RHEL offers comprehensive, professional support including security patches, regular updates, and incident resolution, which is crucial for enterprise operations.
  • Security
    RHEL includes robust security measures like SELinux (Security-Enhanced Linux), which provides advanced access control policies to protect your environment.
  • Ecosystem
    RHEL is part of a large ecosystem of Red Hat products, allowing seamless integration with other enterprise tools and services, such as Ansible, OpenShift, and Satellite.
  • Certification and Compliance
    RHEL is certified for various industry standards and compliance requirements, making it a suitable choice for organizations with strict regulatory needs.
  • Long-term Support Lifecycle
    RHEL includes a long support lifecycle with extended support options, ensuring stability over many years with planned release cycles.
  • Extensive Documentation
    Red Hat offers thorough and well-maintained documentation that helps administrators and developers find solutions quickly.

Possible disadvantages of Red Hat Enterprise Linux

  • Cost
    RHEL's subscription model can be expensive, especially for small to medium-sized businesses or startups that may have limited budgets.
  • Complexity
    The extensive feature set and configuration options can be overwhelming, requiring significant expertise to manage effectively.
  • Vendor Lock-in
    RHEL's proprietary tools and services could lead to vendor lock-in, making it more challenging to switch to other platforms or solutions.
  • Hardware Compatibility
    While RHEL supports a wide range of hardware, there can be compatibility issues with some newer or less common hardware types.
  • Learning Curve
    Users new to RHEL or without prior Linux experience might face a steep learning curve due to the sheer amount of functionalities and configurations.
  • Community Support
    Though RHEL has a dedicated support team, community support is not as extensive or accessible compared to other Linux distributions like Ubuntu or Debian.
  • Deployment Speed
    Due to its focus on stability and enterprise features, deploying and setting up a RHEL system can be a more time-consuming process than some other distributions.

DistroWatch features and specs

  • Comprehensive Database
    DistroWatch provides a thorough list of active Linux distributions, which is helpful for users seeking to explore various options and find the right one for their needs.
  • Distribution Popularity Ranking
    The site features a page hit ranking system that gives an indication of the popularity of distributions, which can guide users toward more widely supported and updated options.
  • News and Updates
    Regularly updated news and release announcements keep users informed about the latest developments in the Linux and open-source software world.
  • Reviews and Summaries
    DistroWatch offers reviews and summaries for many distributions, providing insights into their strengths and weaknesses without needing to test each one individually.
  • User Resources
    The site includes links to official distribution sites, download mirrors, forums, and documentation, making it easier for users to find support and further information.

Possible disadvantages of DistroWatch

  • Popularity Metrics Limitations
    The page hit ranking may not accurately reflect a distribution's true popularity or quality, as it only counts page visits rather than usage metrics.
  • Overwhelming for Beginners
    Newcomers to Linux might find the vast array of distributions and information overwhelming and challenging to navigate without guidance.
  • Community-Driven Content
    Information and reviews on DistroWatch largely rely on community contributions, which can lead to variability in the quality and reliability of the content.
  • Niche Focus
    While DistroWatch is highly valuable for Linux enthusiasts, it has limited appeal to users not interested in open-source operating systems, narrowing its audience.
  • Outdated Information Risk
    Some distribution pages might not be frequently updated, leading to potential issues with outdated information or dead links.

Analysis of Red Hat Enterprise Linux

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Red Hat Enterprise Linux is widely regarded as a good choice for enterprises and organizations due to its stability, comprehensive support, and security features. While it may require a subscription, the value it provides in terms of support, updates, and security makes it a worthy investment, especially for businesses with critical operations.

Why this product is good

  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is considered a robust and reliable operating system due to its stability, enterprise-grade support, and security features. It is built on a strong foundation of open-source software, ensuring regular updates and improvements. RHEL provides a comprehensive ecosystem with extensive documentation, tools for automation, and integration with other Red Hat products, which enhance its usability in complex IT environments. Its long-term support lifecycle makes it a preferred choice for enterprise projects and businesses seeking consistent performance and reduced downtime.

Recommended for

  • Enterprises requiring stable and secure operating systems
  • Organizations needing long-term support and maintenance
  • IT environments with critical workloads and applications
  • Businesses that benefit from comprehensive technical support and consulting services
  • Companies looking to integrate or leverage a broad ecosystem of open-source solutions

Analysis of DistroWatch

Overall verdict

  • DistroWatch is generally considered a good resource for users interested in exploring the diverse world of Linux distributions. Its comprehensive database and news updates make it valuable for both new and experienced Linux users. However, the site should be used as a starting point for research, and users are encouraged to seek multiple sources to fully understand the strengths and weaknesses of each distribution.

Why this product is good

  • DistroWatch is a well-known website for tracking the popularity, releases, and news related to Linux distributions and other open-source operating systems. It provides insights into various Linux distributions, helping users make informed decisions about which distro might suit their needs. Additionally, it offers reviews, detailed information about each distribution, and a ranking system based on page hits, which can be indicative of a distribution's popularity or current interest levels.

Recommended for

    DistroWatch is recommended for anyone interested in learning about and comparing different Linux distributions, including newcomers to Linux, system administrators, hobbyists, and open-source enthusiasts. It is particularly useful for those who want to stay updated on new releases and trends within the Linux community.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux videos

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.0 overview | security functionality and performance for IT environments

More videos:

  • Review - An Overview of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 #RedHat8

DistroWatch videos

Measuring Distro Popularity And Why Distrowatch's Page Hit Rankings Suck.

More videos:

  • Tutorial - How to Choose Your Linux Distribution - Distrowatch.com
  • Review - Let's talk Distrowatch!

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Red Hat Enterprise Linux and DistroWatch)
Linux
23 23%
77% 77
Operating Systems
29 29%
71% 71
Linux Distribution
28 28%
72% 72
API Tools
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Red Hat Enterprise Linux and DistroWatch

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Reviews

Finding the Best Linux Distro for Your Organization
In the latest news, Red Hat’s recent move to restrict access to the source code of their Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) distribution has sparked significant attention. RHEL-compatible, alternative open source projects such as Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux were affected, and companies such as Oracle have voiced their perspectives and declared their commitment to maintaining...
The best Linux distributions (operating systems)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is the market leader among the enterprise Linux distributions. The operating system is suitable for desktop, server, cloud, and virtual machines and offers extensive and paid support. RHEL is stable and relies on long lifecycles. Usage is comparatively simple.
Source: www.ionos.com
Best Top 20 Ubuntu Linux Alternatives (Pros and Cons)
Fedora Linux is produced by the Fedora Project, a non-profit organization supported by Red Hat, an IBM subsidiary. Fedora is a free and open-source operating system that strives to be at the forefront of free technology. It is the upstream source of Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

DistroWatch Reviews

We have no reviews of DistroWatch yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, DistroWatch seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 285 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux yet. Tracking of Red Hat Enterprise Linux recommendations started around Mar 2021.

DistroWatch mentions (285)

  • By Default, Signal Doesn't Recall
    Maybe not, but also polishing of the Linux desktop has happened regardless of this. In fact, it is what drove SteamOS. Please refer to the items on [1] as literally the top 8 distros were developed for this explicit purpose (making Linux more user friendly). [0] We can determine it to be true or false. [1] https://distrowatch.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 15 days ago
  • Practical Guide to Switching to Linux
    This, but here are some things I've learned to do: * Use a .local directory under my home directory instead of ~/bin. That's a great prefix when installing from source or tarball at the user level, keeps the top-level of the home directory from getting cluttered with /share /lib /include /etc /lib etc. etc. * Reach for the package manager first when installing new software, unless there is a good reason not to. It... - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Warm Welcome to Linux P2
    Picking a starting distro is like playing a game, it does not take long for us to stay in our starting town. With various informative sites like DistroWatch, and even a testing site like distro test, our options are endless. Beginners should not get too hung up on deciding which game they want to play as there are tons available. Sooner or later in life, some even leave their starting towns, and even their countries. - Source: dev.to / 12 months ago
  • Warm Welcome to Linux
    The common sense I advocate mainly revolves around DistroWatch. High ranking distributions (indicated by the hits per day chart) are generally more favorable for many reasons; stability, support, user-friendliness, friendliness of other users and so on. Over the past few years, I have usually recommended the three major M named distros; Mint, Manjaro, and MX. They have had high favorability over the past decade. A... - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Linux Distros: Ubuntu and Manjaro Fall Further into Oblivion – February 2024
    The broken headline (should say Linux Gaming Distros) reminded me of DistroWatch's value to the community, aside from its unusual ranking system: https://distrowatch.com/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Red Hat Enterprise Linux and DistroWatch, you can also consider the following products

Ubuntu - Ubuntu is a Debian Linux-based open source operating system for desktop computers.

Linux Mint - Linux Mint is one of the most popular desktop Linux distributions and used by millions of people.

Fedora - Fedora creates an innovative, free, and open source platform for hardware, clouds, and containers that enables software developers and community members to build tailored solutions for their users.

SUSE Studio - Modernisieren Sie Ihre Infrastruktur mit SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, OpenStack Cloud-Technologie für IAAS und softwaredefiniertem Storage von SUSE.

CentOS - CentOS is a community-supported, free and open source operating system based on Red Hat Enterprise...

Debian - Debian is a free distribution of the GNU/Linux operating system.