[discuss] OSDL and the Free Standards Group have merged to form The Linux Foundation

[Evan Leibovitch]

Russell McOrmond wrote:
> New Linux Foundation Launches - Merger of Open Source Development Labs 
> and Free Standards Group
> http://www.linux-foundation.org/wordpress/?p=286
>
> The Linux Foundation is Born - Updated
> http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20070122053519523
>
> My initial reaction is that I'm not a fan of the name.  While these 
> groups were organizationally focused on Linux, the names were neutral 
> enough to suggest they might be helpful in the entire FLOSS economy.  
> I consider the use of the Linux name, and possibly an even greater 
> focus on the Linux kernel, to be an organizational downgrade.
The FSG was not just focused on the kernel; its standards efforts were 
involved in standardizing distributions and libraries (at least enough 
to make life easier for ISVs) and got into issues such as the desktop 
and software packaging. I thought that the two orgs were sufficiently 
different in scope that their separate existence was not fragmentation.

There are benefits to merging -- mainly in terms of public influence, 
fundraising and increased efficiencies -- but my own initial take is 
that the corporate agenda that has so dominated the OSDL is now firmly 
entrenched within FSG as well. This hurts -- or at least reduces the 
influence -- of non-commercial efforts such as Debian and Gentoo. On the 
positive side, this makes Linux just a little more stable and trustable 
from the POV of IT decision makers who are comforted by bigness and more 
vendor involvement.

- Evan