CentOS has had a stability advantage by being downstream of RHEL. It makes sense to switch the free version to be upstream of the paid version. Unexpectedly c

CentOS has had a stability advantage by being downstream of RHEL. It makes sense to switch the free version to be upstream of the paid version. Unexpectedly changing CentOS 8 after many had already migrated to it makes no sense and thoroughly damages Red Hat’s reputation in my view. Perhaps Red Hat will consider continuing CentOS 8 under the same terms they had promised, while also releasing CentOS Stream. Many would value earlier updates over additional stability and make the switch willingly. The rest would avoid having the rug yanked out from under them without warning. Obviously, this dual path would require more effort, but it would engender more trust in Red Hat going forward even if we knew there would be no CentOS 9. It would also keep many from migrating elsewhere.