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TheLinux Foundationhas become something of a misnomer through the years . It has extended far beyond its root as the flight attendant of the Linux kernel , come forth as a sprawl umbrella outfit for a thousand open source project spanningcloud substructure , security measures , digital wallet , enterprise search , fintech , map , and more .
Last calendar month , the OpenInfra Foundation — best known forOpenStack — became thelatest increase to itsstable , further cementing the Linux Foundation ’s status as a “ substructure of creation . ”
The Linux Foundationemerged in 2007from the amalgamation of two Linux - concentrate not - for - earnings : the Open Source Development Labs ( OSDL ) and the Free Standards Group ( FSG ) . With found members such as IBM , Intel , and Oracle , the Foundation ’s raison d’être was take exception the “ closed ” platforms of that time — which essentially meant doubling down on Linux in reply to Windows ’ domination .
“ Computing is entering a world dominate by two platforms : Linux and Windows , ” the Linux Foundation ’s executive director , Jim Zemlin(pictured above ) , saidat the time . “ While being managed under one roof has given Windows some consistency , Linux offers freedom of option , customization and flexibility without forcing client into seller lock - in . ”
A “portfolio approach”
Zemlin has led the charge at the Linux Foundation for some two decades , superintend its transition through technical waves such asmobile , swarm , and — more recently — stilted intelligence . Its phylogenesis from Linux - centricity to covering just about every technical corner is reflective of how applied science itself does n’t stand still — it develop and , more importantly , it cross .
“ Technology goes up and down — we ’re not using iPods or floppy disks any longer , ” Zemlin explained to TechCrunch in an audience duringKubeConin London last week . “ What I realized early on was that if the Linux Foundation were to become an enduring body for collective software package development , we needed to be able-bodied to bet on many dissimilar forms of engineering . ”
This is what Zemlin concern to as a “ portfolio approach , ” similar to how a company diversifies so it ’s not dependent on the success of a single production . mix multiple vital projects under a unmarried formation enables the Foundation to benefit from vertical - specific expertise in networking or automotive - grade Linux , for example , while tapping wide expertise in copyright , patent , data point concealment , cybersecurity , merchandising , and event organization .
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Being able to pool such imagination across task is more important than ever , as business cope with a growing array of regulations such as theEU AI ActandCyber Resilience Act . Rather than each private project having to fight the proficient fight alone , they have the support of a corporate - like foundation backed bysome of the world ’s full-grown troupe .
“ At the Linux Foundation , we have specializer who work in perpendicular manufacture sweat , but they ’re not lawyers or right of first publication expert or patent of invention expert . They ’re also not expert in melt large - scale events , or in developer grooming , ” Zemlin enunciate . “ And so that ’s why the collective investment funds is important . We can create technology in an quick room through technical leadership at the project level , but then across all the projects have a set of tools that create retentive - term sustainability for all of them collectively . ”
The come together of the Linux Foundation and OpenInfra Foundation last month underscored this very point . OpenStack , for the naive , is an open generator , clear standards - found cloud computing platform that emerged from a joint undertaking between Rackspace and NASA in 2010 . Ittransitioned to an eponymic foundationin 2012 , beforerebrandingas the OpenInfra Foundation after outgrowing its initial focus on OpenStack .
Zemlin had knownJonathan Bryce , OpenInfra Foundation CEO and one of the original OpenStack Divine , for years . The two foundations had already collaborated on shared initiatives , such as theOpen Infrastructure Blueprintwhitepaper .
“ We realise that together we could distribute with some of the challenge that we ’re seeing now around regulative compliance , cybersecurity risk of infection , legal challenges around open source — because it [ receptive source ] has become so pervasive , ” Zemlin say .
For the Linux Foundation , the amalgamation also bring an experienced expert lead story into the fold , someone who had worked in industry and build a ware used bysome of the mankind ’s openhanded governance .
“ It is very hard to hire mass to lead technological collaboration efforts , who have technical knowledge and understanding , who understand how to develop an ecosystem , who know how to run a business , and possess a level of humility that allows them to oversee a super broad base of people without stick in their own self in , ” Zemlin say . “ That power to take through influence — there ’s not a lot of people who have that skill . ”
This portfolio approach draw out beyond private projects and foundations , and into a growing array of brook - alone regional entity . The most recent offshoot wasLF India , which launchedjust a few months ago , but the Linux Foundation introduced aJapanese entitysome years ago , while in 2022 itlaunched a European branchto support a growingregulatoryanddigital reign agendaacross the bloc .
TheLinux Foundation Europe , which put up ahandful of projectssuch asThe Open Wallet Foundation , allows European member to join forces with one another in closing off , while also gaining reciprocal rank for the broader Linux Foundation globose rig .
The open source AI factor
While AI is inarguably a major footfall - change both for the technology realm and company , it has also pushed the concept of “ open generator ” into the mainstream arena in ways that traditional software has n’t — with controversy in red-hot pursuit .
Meta , for instance , has positioned its Llama stain of AI modelling as exposed source , even thoughthey decidedly are notby most estimations . This has also highlighted some of the challenge of creating adefinition of open beginning AIthat everyone is happy with , and we ’re now seeing AI example with a spectrum of “ openness ” in term of access to codification , datasets , and commercial-grade limitation .
The Linux Foundation , already home to theLF AI & Data Foundation , which houses some75 project , last twelvemonth published the Model Openness Framework ( MOF),designed to bringa more nuanced coming to the definition of heart-to-heart origin AI . The Open Source Initiative ( OSI ) , flight attendant of the “ open source definition , ” used this framework in its own open source AI definition .
“ Most manikin lack the necessary constituent for full understanding , auditing , and duplicability , and some model producers apply restrictive licenses whilst claiming that their role model are ‘ open source , ’ ” the MOF paper authorswrote at the time .
And so the MOF serves a three - tiered classification system that rates good example on their “ completeness and openness , ” with regards to code , data , model parameters , and documentation .
It ’s basically a ready to hand way to instal how “ open ” a exemplar really is by assessing which components are public , and under what licenses . Just because a mannikin is n’t strictly “ opened author ” by one definition does n’t mean that it is n’t open enough to help develop safety gadget cock that shorten delusion , for example — and Zemlin articulate it ’s important to cover these distinctions .
“ I verbalize to a lot of people in the AI residential district , and it ’s a much encompassing circle of technology practitioners [ equate to traditional software engineering ] , ” Zemlin said . “ What they tell me is that they understand the importance of opened seed meaning ‘ something ’ and the grandness of assailable source as a definition . Where they get frustrated is being a short too donnish at every stratum . What they desire is predictability and transparency and understanding of what they ’re actually getting and using . ”
Formosan AI darling DeepSeekhas also played a big part in the open source AI conversation , emerging with performant , efficient opened root models thatupended howthe incumbent proprietary musician such as OpenAIplan to free their own modelsin the time to come .
But all this , fit in to Zemlin , is just another “ moment ” for exposed beginning .
“ I imagine it ’s good that people recognize just how valuable opened source is in recrudesce any modern engineering , ” he said . “ But open author has these moments — Linux was a moment for open source , where the open root community could grow a better operating organization for swarm computing and enterprise computing and telecommunication than the heavy proprietary software companionship in the reality . AI is having that minute mightily now , and DeepSeek is a fully grown part of that . ”
VC in reverse
A quick peek across the Linux Foundation ’s raiment of projects give away two across-the-board category : those it has acquired , as with the OpenInfra Foundation , and those it has created from within , as it has done with the the like of the Open Source Security Foundation ( OpenSSF ) .
While acquiring an existing project or base might be easier , starting a young labor from scratch is arguably more important , as it ’s striving to fulfill a need that is at least partially unmet . And this is where Zemlin says there is an “ artistic creation and skill ” to succeeding .
“ The science is that you have to create value for the developer in these communities that are create the artefact , the open source code that everybody wants — that ’s where all the note value comes from , ” Zemlin order . “ The art is try on to calculate out where there ’s a new chance for open reference to have a big impingement on an industry . ”
This is why Zemlin refer to what the Linux Foundation is doing as something akin to a “ rearward venture capitalist ” approach . A VC looks for product - grocery fit , and enterpriser they require to work with — all in the name of wee-wee money .
“ Instead , we search for ‘ project - grocery store ’ fit — is this technology go to have a large impingement on a specific manufacture ? Can we bring the correct team of developers and leadership together to make it bechance ? Is that grocery liberal enough ? Is the technology impactful ? ” Zemlin said . “ But instead of making a ton of money like a VC , we give it all by . ”
But however its vast raiment of projects came to fruition , there ’s no ignoring the elephant in the room : The Linux Foundation is no longer all about Linux , and it has n’t been for a long time . So should we ever expect a rebrand into something a little more prosaic , but encompassing — like the Open Technology Foundation ?
Do n’t hold your breath .
“ When I wear Linux Foundation prize into a coffee shop , somebody will often say , ‘ I love Linux ’ or ‘ I used Linux in college , ’ ” Zemlin said . “ It ’s a powerful house brand , and it ’s fairly unvoiced to move by from that . Linux itself is such a positive melodic theme , it ’s so symbolical of truly impactful and successful ‘ open source . ’ ”
