Final answer:
The popular distributions based on Red Hat are Fedora and CentOS. Ubuntu and Debian originate from a different Linux distribution, Debian. Linux's widespread adoption is due to its configurability and zero cost.
Step-by-step explanation:
The popular distributions based on Red Hat are Fedora and CentOS. Ubuntu and Debian are not based on Red Hat; instead, they are based on another Linux distribution called Debian.
Fedora is known as an upstream source of the commercial Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) distribution, offering the latest technologies before they appear in RHEL. On the other hand, CentOS was a free derivative of RHEL that aimed to offer enterprise-level computing to those who did not need the support provided by the commercial version.
However, as of December 2021, CentOS Linux has shifted its focus to CentOS Stream, which is a rolling-release version positioned between Fedora and RHEL. The history of Linux is rooted in the creation of a free operating system kernel by Linus Torvalds.
Over time, Linux's flexibility and zero cost have made it a popular choice for a variety of applications, from personal computers to supercomputers.