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Linux Groups to Unite Vs Microsoft
Techtree News Staff, Jan 22, 2007 1524 hrs ISTOpen Source Development Labs and Free Standards Group, two forces working for the commercialization of Linux are all set to unite...
The Open Source Development Labs and the Free Standards Group, two major forces behind the drive for commercialization of Linux, will merge to form a new all-embracing group.
Due for announcement today, the new group is called Linux Foundation, which is being backed by major vendors, including IBM, HP, Oracle, Novell, and Intel. The group will have 70 vendor sponsors in all, with members, including Fujitsu, Hitachi, and NEC.
In this way, two groups committed to the business adoption of Linux will merge to streamline operations, and represent Linux versus its challengers with one voice. And the main mission of the new organization is to help the Linux community compete more effectively against its closed source opponent, Microsoft.
In a statement, James Zemlin, Executive Director of the Linux Foundation, said that it is really a two-horse race now, with computing dominated by two operating-system platforms, Linux and Windows. There are things that Microsoft does well in terms of promoting Windows, providing legal protection, and standardizing Windows. And the things that Microsoft does well are things they need to do well that is to promote, protect, and standardize Linux.
Linux Foundation will also provide jobs for key developers of the Linux kernel, including the original Linux creator, Linus Torvalds, who previously worked for Open Source Development Labs. Another major goal of the Linux Foundation will be to ensure consistency across all main Linux distributions to prevent forking, as was the case with Unix in the 1980s.
Daniel Frye, Vice President of Open Systems Development, IBM, said that the new Linux organization is a clear sign that they are going to continue to work together. There is vigorous competition among companies in the market for hardware, software, and services that work with Linux. But collaboration is also essential to move Linux technology forward, and avoid the kind of splintering of the marketplace that occurred in the 1980s, when different companies supported different versions of the Unix operating system.
The Linux Foundation will also manage the Linux trademark, and provide legal services, including the 'Open Source as Prior Art' project to defend against patent challenges and patent commons, where companies may contribute their patents to be used in defense of Linux.
Meanwhile, the merger still needs to be ratified by the members of the two groups, which is expected to be completed in early February this year.
Due for announcement today, the new group is called Linux Foundation, which is being backed by major vendors, including IBM, HP, Oracle, Novell, and Intel. The group will have 70 vendor sponsors in all, with members, including Fujitsu, Hitachi, and NEC.
In this way, two groups committed to the business adoption of Linux will merge to streamline operations, and represent Linux versus its challengers with one voice. And the main mission of the new organization is to help the Linux community compete more effectively against its closed source opponent, Microsoft.
In a statement, James Zemlin, Executive Director of the Linux Foundation, said that it is really a two-horse race now, with computing dominated by two operating-system platforms, Linux and Windows. There are things that Microsoft does well in terms of promoting Windows, providing legal protection, and standardizing Windows. And the things that Microsoft does well are things they need to do well that is to promote, protect, and standardize Linux.
Linux Foundation will also provide jobs for key developers of the Linux kernel, including the original Linux creator, Linus Torvalds, who previously worked for Open Source Development Labs. Another major goal of the Linux Foundation will be to ensure consistency across all main Linux distributions to prevent forking, as was the case with Unix in the 1980s.
Daniel Frye, Vice President of Open Systems Development, IBM, said that the new Linux organization is a clear sign that they are going to continue to work together. There is vigorous competition among companies in the market for hardware, software, and services that work with Linux. But collaboration is also essential to move Linux technology forward, and avoid the kind of splintering of the marketplace that occurred in the 1980s, when different companies supported different versions of the Unix operating system.
The Linux Foundation will also manage the Linux trademark, and provide legal services, including the 'Open Source as Prior Art' project to defend against patent challenges and patent commons, where companies may contribute their patents to be used in defense of Linux.
Meanwhile, the merger still needs to be ratified by the members of the two groups, which is expected to be completed in early February this year.
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