Red Hat Linux was a pioneering Linux distribution developed by Red Hat Inc., first released in 1995. It played a major role in bringing Linux into mainstream enterprise environments. While the original Red Hat Linux was discontinued in 2004, it laid the foundation for two major successors:

🧬 Evolution of Red Hat Linux

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL): A commercial, enterprise-grade OS designed for stability, security, and long-term support. It’s widely used in data centers, cloud platforms, and mission-critical systems.
• Fedora Linux: A free, community-driven distro sponsored by Red Hat. It serves as a testing ground for new features that may eventually make their way into RHEL.

🛠️ Key Features of RHEL

• Enterprise support: Includes 24/7 support, certified hardware/software, and a 10-year lifecycle
• Security: Offers SELinux, kernel hardening, and post-quantum cryptography in newer versions
• Cloud-ready: Optimized for hybrid and edge deployments across AWS, Azure, and more
• Developer-friendly: Available for free through the Red Hat Developer Program

📦 Package Management

• Uses the RPM Package Manager, which became a standard across many Linux distributions

🧠 Why It’s Popular

• Red Hat is one of the largest contributors to the Linux kernel and open-source projects
• RHEL is trusted by governments, financial institutions, and Fortune 500 companies for its reliability and support