You may have seen references to "software collections" in this blog, but this is different. "Red Hat Software Collections", now in beta for the first time, is a collection of refreshed and supported web/dynamic languages and databases for Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Now you can have two versions of software on one OS, or refresh these languages and databases more frequently. See this list below!
From the announcement:
"Red Hat is pleased to announce the Beta release of Red Hat Software Collections 1.0. Red Hat Software Collections 1.0 delivers the latest, stable versions of some of the most popular web development languages and open source databases for use with Red Hat Enterprise Linux. It features a three-year life cycle and is the first in a series of planned releases designed to allow developers to take advantage of new capabilities faster as they build and deploy modern, enterprise-ready web applications.
Red Hat Software Collections 1.0 Beta includes access to the latest stable versions of the following dynamic languages:
- Ruby 1.9.3 with Rails 3.2.8, which delivers substantial performance improvements for web-based applications. This results in faster load times, improved unicode support and threading, and a large collection of ruby gems.
- Python version 2.7, which includes new unit test features, faster I/O, and tools and back-ported features from Python 3 to make future migration easier.
- Python version 3.3, which offers significant improvements in language consistency, Unicode performance, imports, and distribution of packages.
- PHP version 5.4, which includes new language syntax, improved performance and reduced memory consumption, and a built-in web server in CLI mode to simplify development workflows and testing.
- Perl version 5.16.3, which includes improved unicode support, performance enhancements, new debugging options, enhanced security, and a number of new and updated modules.
- Technology Preview of node.js version 0.10, which delivers an easy to use module for handling streams, better error handling with domains, and performance improvements for web application development.
Red Hat Software Collections 1.0 Beta also includes access to the latest stable versions of the following runtime databases:
- MariaDB version 5.5, which introduces an easy-to-adopt alternative for MySQL for Red Hat Enterprise Linux users. Binary compatibility allows MySQL users to drop-in MariaDB without converting data files.
- MySQL version 5.5, which offers performance, scalability, and usability enhancements.
- PostgreSQL version 9.2, which includes native JSON support, covering indexes, and significant improvements in replication, high availability and performance.
Red Hat Software Collections 1.0 Beta is available now for use with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 to customers and partners with select active Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server, Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation or developer-related subscriptions.
Active subscribers who are interested in participating can access Red Hat Software Collections 1.0 Beta on Red Hat Network. View the Red Hat Software Collections 1.0 Beta release notes for more information.
If you have questions, send them to developer AT redhat DOT com.
UPDATE: These Software Collections are now general release (GA).
UPDATE: Red Hat Software Collections has had numerous updates, so look for the latest here.
Last updated: March 14, 2023