Red Hat
Red Hat is an American multinational software company that provides open-source software products to enterprises. It was founded in 1993 by Bob Young and Marc Ewing and has since grown to become one of the leading providers of Linux operating systems and related services.
History
- Foundation and Early Years: Red Hat was initially focused on creating a distribution of Linux that could be commercially supported. The company's name comes from Ewing's childhood pastime of wearing a red Cornell University lacrosse hat, which he had found in a used clothing bin. The company released its first product, Red Hat Linux, in 1994.
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux: In 2002, Red Hat decided to refocus its business model. It discontinued Red Hat Linux and introduced Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), which was designed for business use with long-term support commitments. This move was aimed at enterprise customers looking for stability and support rather than the latest technology.
- IPO and Acquisition: Red Hat went public in August 1999, with its shares traded on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol 'RHAT'. In July 2019, Red Hat was acquired by IBM for approximately $34 billion, making it one of the largest acquisitions in the tech industry.
Products and Services
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux: This is Red Hat's flagship product, providing a robust, enterprise-grade platform for various applications, from infrastructure to cloud computing.
- OpenShift: A container application platform based on Kubernetes, OpenShift helps developers build, deploy, and manage applications in hybrid cloud and multi-cloud environments.
- Ansible: An open-source automation platform that automates software provisioning, configuration management, and application deployment.
- JBoss Middleware: A suite of products for developing, deploying, and managing Java applications, including JBoss Enterprise Application Platform.
- Storage Solutions: Red Hat also offers software-defined storage solutions like Gluster and Ceph for scalable storage needs.
Community and Open Source Commitment
Red Hat is deeply committed to the open-source community:
- It sponsors numerous open-source projects and contributes significantly to the development of Linux and related technologies.
- Red Hat has been instrumental in promoting open-source software in enterprise environments, proving that open-source can be both reliable and secure for business-critical applications.
- The company's business model involves providing support, training, and certification for its open-source software, thereby fostering a community around its products.
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