Linux Foundation Over the years, a wrong name has become. It has extended far beyond its roots as the steward of the linux kernel, Emerging as a sprawling umbrella outfit for a thousand open source projects spanning Cloud InfrastructureFor, for, for, for,. HelloFor, for, for, for,. Digital walletsFor, for, for, for,. Enterprise searchFor, for, for, for,. FantaxFor, for, for, for,. MapAnd more.
Last month, the Open Infra Foundation – is famous for Open stack – became The latest increase in it Stable, further strengthening the status of the Linux Foundation as a “base of the foundations”.
Linux Foundation Emerged in 2007 In combination with two Linux -based non -profit people: Open Source Development Labs (osdl) And free standards group (Fsg) With founding members such as IBM, Intel, and Oracle, the Foundation’s raisins were challenging the then “closed” platform at the time – which mainly means double the Linux in response to Windows’ domination.
Executive Director of the Linux Foundation, “Computing two platforms: Linux and Windows are entering the world. Jim Zimlin (In the picture above), said Presently. “Although managing under one roof gives Windows some consistency, Linux offers freedom of choice, customization and flexibility without forcing users.”
A “portfolio point of view”
Zemlin has led the charge at the Linux Foundation for a few decades, which has been monitored by technical waves, such as its transfer. MobileFor, for, for, for,. CloudAnd – recently – Artificial intelligence. Its evolution is a reflection of how the technology does not stand by covering every technical mark, from the Linux Center to covering every technical sign-it is ready and even more importantly, it is found.
During an interview, Zamlin explained to the Tech Crunch, “Technology goes up and down. Cavity Last week in London. “What I initially realized was that if the Linux Foundation became a sustainable institution for collective software development, we needed to be able to bet on many different forms of technology.”
Zimlin means that as a “portfolio approach”, a similar company diversifies, so it does not depend on the success of a single product. Combining multiple critical projects under the same organization enables the Foundation to take advantage of vertical specific skills in networking or automotive grade linux, for example, copyright, patent, data privacy, cybersecurity, marketing and event organizations.
It is more important to be able to ponder such resources in projects, as the business compares the growing ranks of the rules such as the business I have an act And Cyber Flexibility Act. Instead of each individual’s plan, only good fighting fighting has to fight, they have the support of a corporate foundation that is supported The world’s largest companies.
“At the Linux Foundation, we have experts who work in the efforts of the vertical industry, but they are not lawyer or copyright experts or patent experts, they are not experts in running a large -scale program, or even a developer training,” Zemlin said. “And that’s why collective investment is important. We can create technology in a technical way at the level of the project, but then there is a set of tools in all projects that create collectively long -term stability for all of them.”
This point was emphasized last month with the Linux Foundation and the Open Infra Foundation. Open stack, for blockade, is an open source, an open -standard cloud computing platform based on a joint venture between Rickspace and NASA in 2010. Transfer to a proportional foundation In 2012, before that Branding again After the Open Infra Foundation, after increasing its initial focus on the open stack.
Zimlin knew Jonathan BraceCEO of the Open Infra Foundation and one of the original Open Stack Creators for years. Both foundations had already cooperated on joint steps, such as Open infrastructure Blue Print White Paper
“We felt that we can deal with some challenges that we are now seeing around the legal challenges around the regulatory compliance, cybersecurity risk, open source. [open source] Zemlin said.
The Linux Foundation’s La, the integration also brought an experienced technical lead, which worked in the industry and made products used by it. The world’s largest organizations.
Zemlin said, “It is very difficult for people to hire people to guide technical cooperation efforts, who have technical knowledge and understanding, who want to expand an environmental system, know how to run a business, and have a level of humility that they can manage without entering their ego.” “The ability to guide through influence – there are not many people who have this skill.”
This portfolio approach is beyond individual plans and foundations, and is up to the growing row of regional institutions alone. Was the most recent offshot LF IndiaWho launched A few months agoBut the Linux Foundation introduced Japanese entity A few years ago, while in 2022 Launched a European branch To grow growing Regulatory And Agenda of digital sovereignty Across the block of the block
Linux Foundation EuropeWhich house is a Fisting projects Like Open Purse FoundationAllows European members to cooperate with each other in isolation, while the wider Linux Foundation gains mutual membership for the Global Organization.
“There are also times when, in the name of digital sovereignty, people want to cooperate with other EU organizations, or the government wants to support or renovate a particular effort, and you only need to participate in EU organizations,” said Zemlin, and the government only needs to participate in EU organizations. ” “This [Linux Foundation Europe] Allows us to thunder the needle on two things – they can work locally and have digital sovereignty, but they are not throwing global participation that makes open source so good.
Open Source AI Factor
Although AI is a very important step for both the technology and both society, it has also pushed the concept of “open source” to the mainstream in the field of ways that there is no traditional software-with a controversy in pursuit.
For example, Meta has placed its Lama Brand of AI models as open source, although They have not decided Most estimates. He has also highlighted some of the challenges of making a The definition of open source AI That everyone is happy, and now we are watching the AI model with the “openness” spectrum in terms of access to code, datases and trade restrictions.
The Linux Foundation, already home is home LFAI and Data FoundationWhat keeps something 75 projectsPublished the Model Opening Framework (MOF) last year, Is designed to bring A more controversial approach to the praise of the open source AI. Open Source Initiative (OSI), “Open Source Defense” stewards used this framework in its open source AI definition.
“Most models lack complete understanding, auditory, and reproductive ability to lack the ness of essential ingredients, and some model producers use banned licenses while their models are ‘open source’,” MOF paper authors Was written at the time.
And thus the MOF serves a three -tredit rating system that classifies the model on their “complete and openness” with regard to code, data, model parameters and documents.
This is basically an easy way to prove that the models really estimate which components are public, and under which license they estimate it. Just because a model is not strictly “open source” by a definition it does not mean that it is not so open to help produce safety tools that reduce the deception, for example – and Zimlin says these discrimination must be removed.
“I talk to many people of the AI community, and this is a very broad set of technology practitioners [compared to traditional software engineering]”Zemlin said.” What they tell me is that they understand the importance of open source, which means ‘something’ and the importance of open source as appreciation. Where they get frustrated, they are a little too pedantic in each layer. What they want is the forecast and transparency and the understanding they are actually getting and using. “
Chinese Ai Cute Dipisic Open Source AI has also played a major role in the conversation, which emerges with performance, effective open source model How Currently owned players like Openi Plan to release their own models In the future
But according to Zimlin, this is just another “moment” for open source.
“I think it is good to know how valuable the open source is in the preparation of any modern technology,” he said. “But Open Source has these moments – there was a moment for the Linux Open Source, where the Open Source community can develop a better operating system for cloud computing and enterprise computing and telecommunications than the world’s largest proprietary software company. This is a great deal of this moment.
Vc in reverse
A sharp peek in the ranks of the Linux Foundation’s plans reveals two wide varieties: like the Open Infra Foundation, and what it has created from the inside, as it has done with the choice of the Open Source Security Foundation.Open SF,
Although the current project or foundation can be easier, it is more important to start a new project from the beginning, as trying to meet the need that is at least partially unusual. And from here, Zimlin says there is a “art and science” for success.
“Science is that you have to create value for developers in communities who are producing samples, open source code that everyone wants – from this place, all costs.” “Art is trying to find out where there is a new opportunity to have a big impact on an industry for open source.”
This is why Zimlin refers to the Linux Foundation is equivalent to the “reverse venture capitalist” perspective. A VC product looks for market fit, and businessmen with whom they want to work-it’s all in the name of making money.
“Instead, we look for the ‘project market’ fit-will this technology have a lot of impact on a particular industry? Can we bring the right team of developers and leaders? Is this market enough? Is technology effective?” Zemlin said. “But instead of making a ton of money like VC, we remove it all.”
However, the widespread row of its plans has come to an end, the elephant in the room cannot be ignored: the Linux Foundation is no longer about Linux, and it has not been long. So we should ever expect anything else like the Open Technology Foundation.
Do not breathe your breath.
“When I wear a Linux Foundation exchange in a coffee shop, someone will often say, ‘I like Linux’ or ‘I used Linux in college,” Zemlin said. “It’s a powerful domestic brand, and it is very difficult to get away. Linux itself is a positive idea, it is really a symbol of an effect and successful ‘open source’.