Enterprise versus community distributions of Linux
In this section, we will discuss community versus enterprise Linux distributions, or, as many of us in the Linux industry refer to them, free versus fee. What distribution you decide upon is driven by many of the factors we have reviewed in previous chapters. Compliance, support, longevity, and your own general needs will come into play here.
This point of the selection criteria not only impacts the bottom line of building the appliance but can also better position your product as more secure, as the enterprise distributions bring security features, documentation, training opportunities, automation, tools, and best practice acumen to support your team.
Paid distributions tend to carry significant longevity, as it’s expected by the customer base. The average supported enterprise Linux lifespan is 10 years. These distributions also tend to offer an extended timeframe beyond that (for additional fees). This is important to...
