The two biggest supporters of Linux software are coming together.
A San Francisco non-profit, the Free Standards Group, will merge with another non-profit, the Open Source Development Labs of Beaverton, Ore., to form the Linux Foundation, the organizations said Monday in a joint statement.
The Linux operating system competes with Microsoft Windows and Unix as the computer platform for other software programs to run on. It is open-source software, which means the code is publicly available and can be changed by anyone.
The Linux foundation’s members include major technology companies such as Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Oracle, as well as the two largest Linux makers, Novell and Red Hat. It will be led by Jim Zemlin, former executive director of the Free Standards Group.
The new group will defend Linux vendors and customers against intellectual property lawsuits. It also plans to help increase usage of Linux by aiding development of the software and helping the operating system work with open-source and proprietary software.
“Linux offers freedom of choice, customization and flexibility without forcing customers into vendor lock-in,” Zemlin said in a statement. “The Linux Foundation helps in the next stage of Linux growth by organizing the diverse companies and constituencies of the Linux ecosystem to promote, protect and standardize Linux.”
The Free Standards Group and Open Source Development Labs were both founded six years ago. Open Source Development Labs, which employs Linux creator Linus Torvalds, cut nine employees in a major reorganization last month.
Contact Ryan Blitstein at rblitstein@mercurynews.com or (408)920-5715.
