Articles about The Linux Foundation

The Linux Foundation, the non-profit organization enabling innovation through open source, has announced a new service to improve the security of the software supply chain by enabling the easy adoption of cryptographic software signing.

Called 'sigstore' it will allow software developers to securely sign software artifacts such as release files, container images and binaries. Signing materials will then be stored in a tamper-proof public log. Founding members of the project include Red Hat, Google and Purdue University.

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Google and the Linux Foundation are prioritizing funds to underwrite two full-time maintainers for Linux kernel security development.

Gustavo Silva and Nathan Chancellor will focus on maintaining and improving kernel security and associated initiatives in order to ensure the world's most pervasive open source software project is sustainable for decades to come.

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Microsoft, Google, Red Hat, IBM and Intel are among those to join the newly formed Confidential Computing Consortium (CCC). The new organization will be hosted at the Linux Foundation, having been established to help define and accelerate the adoption of confidential computing.

The company explains that, "confidential computing technologies offer the opportunity for organizations to collaborate on their data sets without giving access to that data, to gain shared insights and to innovate for the common good". Microsoft will be contributing the Open Enclave SDK that allows developers to build Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) applications using a single enclaving abstraction.

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The Kodi Foundation has long been a supporter of open source software and today the developer announces that it has joined the Linux Foundation as an Associate Member.

The Linux Foundation is a non-profit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux and open source in general, and providing support for the open source community as well as sponsoring Linux creator Linus Torvalds, and maintaining the linux.com website.

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Google is a huge proponent of open source. The company is constantly releasing projects on GitHub -- a huge win for the open source community. Not to mention, Google leverages one of the most important open source projects for its operating systems -- the Linux kernel. Both Android and Chrome OS, for instance, are Linux-based.

Today, Google becomes a Platinum Member of the Linux Foundation. This is big news, as not only will Google benefit from the platinum perks, but arguably more importantly, the Linux community will experience a huge financial win. You see, the annual cost for being a platinum member is $500,000!

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The world is crazy right now. We have a reality TV star in the White House, and day after day, there are unbelievable things being reported in the news. Sometimes I wonder if I am dreaming, but sadly, this is real life. Try as I might, I can't wake up.

You know what else is crazy? The Linux Foundation is officially endorsing Microsoft's acquisition of GitHub! OK, maybe that isn't so crazy nowadays, but if you could get in a time machine and go back, say, 10 years, and you told people that not only was Microsoft an official Linux Foundation Member, but the foundation was endorsing the Windows-maker's purchase of a massive repository that hosts millions of open source projects, you'd probably be put in an asylum.

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The rise of IoT devices is pushing more systems towards an edge computing model in order to handle the data created more effectively.

While several open source projects exist to help solve pieces of the edge puzzle, no single project currently meets the need for a complete edge infrastructure solution.

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The Linux Foundation has released details of one of its open source projects, ACRN -- a hypervisor designed for the Internet of Things and embedded devices. And, yes, it is pronounced "acorn".

The project was helped by contributions of code and engineering from Intel, and the aim was to create a system for managing virtual machines that was both flexible and small. With a Linux-based service OS, ACRN can run multiple guest operating systems at the same time, making it ideal for many scenarios.

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With the Linux community being rather fragmented, it’s nice to know there are some organizations that aim to unify it. The Linux Foundation is one such group that has done a lot of good for the overall community. It does a great job of bringing companies -- such as Microsoft, Samsung, and AMD, to name a few -- into the Linux fold as official foundation members.

When a company becomes a Linux Foundation member, there are different tiers that can be chosen, such as Platinum, Gold, and Silver. These levels carry different annual fees. Today, The Linux Foundation announces the newest Gold member -- Oath. If you aren’t familiar with Oath, please know it is a Verizon subsidiary that is comprised of assets such as AOL, Yahoo, and more.

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Linux is very much mainstream nowadays. What was once viewed as a hobby and niche project, is transforming the world. Many of the world's servers are running Linux-based operating systems. Hell, the most popular mobile operating system on the planet, Android, is Linux-based. Even closed-source champion Microsoft is embracing Linux by integrating it into Windows 10 and offering it on its Azure platform.

Please know, Linux will only get more popular; gaining more knowledge about it is vital for your career in information technology. If you want to further your education, The Linux Foundation has your back. You see, the organization is launching a new training course called "Administering Linux on Azure."

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Linux is the future, and even closed-source champion Microsoft has gotten onboard. The Windows-maker is not only contributing to many open source projects, but developing software for the Linux desktop, with programs such as Skype. You can even install Linux distributions from the Windows Store nowadays. Hell, the company has even created a version of Microsoft Office that runs on Linux by way of Android! Yes, Google's mobile operating system is Linux. Android is also what effectively killed the much maligned Windows Phone, so Microsoft clearly has no problem with joining forces with prior "enemies."

Today, Microsoft further pledges its loyalty to Linux and open source by becoming a platinum member of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation. If you aren't familiar, the CNCF is a part of the well-respected Linux Foundation (of which Microsoft is also a member). With the Windows-maker increasingly focusing its efforts on the cloud -- and profiting from it -- this seems like a match made in heaven. In fact, Dan Kohn, Executive Director of the foundation says, "We are honored to have Microsoft, widely recognized as one of the most important enterprise technology and cloud providers in the world, join CNCF as a platinum member."

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The Internet of Things is gaining in popularity just as many pundits have predicted for years. Having a connected home is easy and cost effective, thanks to devices like Amazon Echo, WeMo lights, and Nest thermostats. It really is an exciting time to be a tech-enthusiast consumer.

Unfortunately, while IoT is exciting, it can also be confusing and scary. Many devices do not work together due to fragmentation, and even worse, there can be security exploits that put the consumer's home network at risk. In other words, an internet connected refrigerator or webcam could be abused by hackers. Today, The Linux Foundation launches the open source EdgeX Foundry -- an attempt to unify and simplify the Internet of Things.

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Linux Mint is one of the most popular Linux-based desktop operating systems. With that said, did you know there are two versions of the OS? No, I am not talking about the multiple desktop environments, such as Cinnamon, MATE, and KDE. There are actually two entirely different operating systems that share the Mint name. The normal version of Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu, while a lesser known version, LMDE, is based on Debian. Is it confusing? Absolutely. A waste of resources? Probably. But hey, that's the state of Linux on the desktop nowadays.

Linux Mint Debian Edition 2 'Betsy' launched way back in 2015, and hasn't needed a major base upgrade. Instead, LMDE has received a steady stream of updates over the last two years. The problem? The ISO images were very outdated, meaning a fresh install required a lot of updates. As a way to improve the experience, the Linux Mint team has decided to refresh the installation media. Today, refreshed stable Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) 2 'Betsy' ISO images become available, with the choice of either Cinnamon or MATE.

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In the wake of WikiLeaks' Vault 7 CIA leaks, Apple has been quick to point out that vulnerabilities mentioned in the documents have already been addressed. Microsoft and Samsung have said they are "looking into" things, and now the Linux Foundation has spoken out.

Nicko van Someren, Chief Technology Officer at The Linux Foundation says that while it is "not surprising" that Linux would find itself a target, the open source project has a very fast release cycle, meaning that kernel updates are released every few days to address issues that are found.

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Linux and other open source projects are changing the world. If you don't believe it, just think of Android -- the most used mobile operating system is a Linux distro. Not to mention, many consumer products license open source code. Heck, even major companies like Microsoft and Apple are embracing open source nowadays.

Today, VMware shows its commitment to the open source community by becoming a Linux Foundation Gold Member. The company joins many other successful companies at that level, such as Facebook, Toshiba, and Toyota, to name a few.

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