2010 was a busy year for the Linux Foundation, and their recently posted 2011 schedule suggests that this year will be just as interesting. In addition to LinuxCon and the Collaboration Summit in the US, there’s also LinuxCon Brazil, LinuxCon Japan, and for the first time ever LinuxCon Europe. The latter is running concurrently with the Linux Kernel Summit and the Embedded Linux Conference Europe. → Read More
Open source software has many benefits, but one of the greatest is the ability to not reinvent the wheel. By sharing solutions, the open source community is able to develop great software quickly and effectively. Although open source software usually stands alone, on ideological grounds, you can easily find examples of open source software in a great number of successful proprietary applications, too. Some open source licenses permit use in proprietary software, and some does not. Navigating the plethora of open source and free software licenses can be confusing to developers. Some open source code gets inappropriately bundled into proprietary software intentionally, as a short-cut to success, and some gets bundled in violation of the open source licenses by accident or negligence. It can be expensive and embarrassing to companies when this sort of misappropriation of open source software occurs. Today the Linux Foundation is launching the Open Compliance Program to help avoid just these sorts of problems. → Read More
Everyone and their brother can make an Android device, which means that Android is outselling the iPhone. But as some of the comments on John’s post point out, device proliferation leads to consumer angst in trying to find the right device to purchase. The same phenomenon has been happening in the Linux market for ages, with consumers trying to figure out whether they need or want Fedora or Ubuntu or OpenSUSE. Fragmentation is a problem, when you look at things in this context; but is the Linux market really that fragmented? Jim Zemlin, Executive Director at the Linux Foundation doesn’t think so. → Read More
LinuxCon, the big Linux conference put on by the Linux Foundation, is heading to Sao Paulo, Brazil this year. This makes the third location for regional LinuxCon events after Boston, Mass in the U.S.A. an Tokyo, Japan in Asia. Why Brazil? “Brazil leads many other countries in its adoption of Linux and is a growing base of development. The time is right to take the industry’s premier Linux conference to Brazil,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director at The Linux Foundation. Full press release inside. → Read More
The Linux Foundation has announced the first round of keynote speakers for LinuxCon, their annual Linux conference. The line up this year includes some interesting folks, including Stormy Peters, executive director of the GNOME Foundation, and Ravi Simhambhatla, CIO for Virgin America. In addition to a “Linux Kernel Roundtable” with notable kernel maintainers there will also be a number of mini-summits with focused discussion on specific aspects of Linux development: file systems, KVM, Xen, power management, and more. → Read More
Today marks the start of the fourth annual Linux Foundation Collaboration Summit, which is “an exclusive, invitation-only summit gathering core kernel developers, distribution maintainers, ISVs, end users, system vendors and other community organizations for plenary sessions and workgroup meetings to meet face-to-face to tackle and solve the most pressing issues facing Linux today.” All the names you’d normally expect at a Linux event are going to be there — IBM, Google, Hewlett Packard — along with companies jumping on the MeeGo bandwagon — Nokia, Intel, and more. The agenda lists some interesting topics, but the Summit itself raised a number of questions for me. I exchanged emails with Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Linux Foundation, about the Summit, and the state of Linux in general. → Read More
The Linux.com store is open for business! Nice looking shirts, hats, and onesies are available for Linux users of all ages. Also available are mugs for the all-important coffee, and stickers. All proceeds benefit the Linux Foundation’s various programs. → Read More
The Linux Foundation, the non-profit that supports the growth of the Linux kernel, has launched a merchandise store where people can purchase a newly launched line of original T-shirts, hats, mugs and other items that reflect “geek culture.”
According a release sent out by the Foundation, merchandise available in the Linux.com store is “designed to reflect the unique and varied culture associated with Linux” and will support the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds. For example, t-shirts contain phrases like “Free The Code,” “FSCK the Establishment,” and “Fork You.” All revenue generated from the store will go directly towards Linux Foundation activities, initiatives and events. → Read More
I’ve been a full-time Linux user since 1999. I’ve been an advocate for Linux and Free Software for most of that time. My advocacy efforts usually stay within my social group, or at FreeGeek Columbus, though occasionally I’ll use my posts here to support the penguin. Linux, as an open source project developed by an ad-hoc group of people, often with competing agendas, has succeeded without much mainstream advertising. Microsoft had their laptop shopper commercials, and Apple has had their wildly successful “I’m a Mac” commercials, but there have been few Linux commercials. In the open source style of Linux development, now’s your chance to change that state of affairs! → Read More
Great news, Linux users! The Linux Foundation is rolling out new individual membership benefits, including employee purchase pricing on Dell, Lenovo and HP devices. This translates to up to 40% off of store prices. Plus, you can get an @linux.com email address, and the peace of mind knowing that some portion of your membership dues will be going to directly support the continued work of Linus Torvalds! There are a few other perks, too. Full press release inside! → Read More
The Linux Foundation, the non-profit that supports the growth of the Linux kernel, is today announcing an affinity Visa Platinum credit card for people who want to contribute to advancing the OS through the organization’s initiatives. Reading the press release announcing the new credit card made me raise my eyebrows, but after giving it a bit of thought I think that this is actually not that bad an idea.
Jim Zemlin, executive director of The Linux Foundation in a statement says people can contribute to Linux in a variety of ways (writing code, marketing, etc.) but now have a convenient way of identifying themselves as supporters of the community “by carrying Tux in their pocket”. And then of course there’s the financial incentive. → Read More
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