AlmaLinux Will No Longer Be "Just Another RHEL Clone"
With the release of AlmaLinux 9.3, the distribution will be built entirely from upstream sources.
As my favorite band, Rush, once said, in Circumstances, "plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose." In other words, the more that things change, the more they stay the same.
But this time around, AlmaLinux isn't happy with staying the same… especially with regards to remaining in lockstep with Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
With the upcoming release of AlmaLinux 9.3, those who've become fans of the distribution should expect change. This new release will not rely on Red Hat Enterprise Linux source code and, instead, is built from the CentOS Stream repositories for upstream.
What does this mean for users? AlmaLinux 9.3 will most likely not change all that much. The distribution will continue supporting x86_64, aarch64, ppc64le, and s390x architectures and will likely no longer release days after RHEL.
According to benny Vasquez, Chair of the Board of the AlmaLinux OS Foundation, “For a typical user, this will mean very little change in your use of AlmaLinux. Red Hat-compatible applications will still be able to run on AlmaLinux OS, and your installs of AlmaLinux will continue to receive timely security updates.”
“The most remarkable potential impact of the change is that we will no longer be held to the line of ‘bug-for-bug compatibility’ with Red Hat, and that means that we can now accept bug fixes outside of Red Hat’s release cycle,” Vasquez continues. “While that means some AlmaLinux OS users may encounter bugs that are not in Red Hat, we may also accept patches for bugs that have not yet been accepted upstream or shipped downstream."
AlmaLinux 9.3 is now available to download.

Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
System76 Releases COSMIC Alpha 7
With scores of bug fixes and a really cool workspaces feature, COSMIC is looking to soon migrate from alpha to beta.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 6.0 Available for Installation
The latest release of OpenMandriva has arrived with a new kernel, an updated Plasma desktop, and a server edition.
-
TrueNAS 25.04 Arrives with Thousands of Changes
One of the most popular Linux-based NAS solutions has rolled out the latest edition, based on Ubuntu 25.04.
-
Fedora 42 Available with Two New Spins
The latest release from the Fedora Project includes the usual updates, a new kernel, an official KDE Plasma spin, and a new System76 spin.
-
So Long, ArcoLinux
The ArcoLinux distribution is the latest Linux distribution to shut down.
-
What Open Source Pros Look for in a Job Role
Learn what professionals in technical and non-technical roles say is most important when seeking a new position.
-
Asahi Linux Runs into Issues with M4 Support
Due to Apple Silicon changes, the Asahi Linux project is at odds with adding support for the M4 chips.
-
Plasma 6.3.4 Now Available
Although not a major release, Plasma 6.3.4 does fix some bugs and offer a subtle change for the Plasma sidebar.
-
Linux Kernel 6.15 First Release Candidate Now Available
Linux Torvalds has announced that the release candidate for the final release of the Linux 6.15 series is now available.
-
Akamai Will Host kernel.org
The organization dedicated to cloud-based solutions has agreed to host kernel.org to deliver long-term stability for the development team.