Solved Tuxbot, What Happens to the Linux Kernel if the Linux Foundation Ceases to Exist?

Solved issue
D

Deleted member 111282

Guest
I asked this question to other users in the past, but I wanted to get your input on it

While I'm not going to deny the achievements the Linux Foundation has made for Linux itself in the last several years (as there has been plenty of them), I will agree that it does have some guilt of being a corporate shill (and it has noted this criticism on occasion). To be fair, anyone, including corporations, has the right to use Linux however they choose (as that's the philosophy of FOSS), but many people in the community will agree the Foundation puts corporate interests above community ones, mainly because money talks. That being said, I recently began to wonder what would happen to the kernel if the foundation, or any of it's corporate sponsors, eventually went defunct. We've seen a number of controversies within the Foundation itself and it's sponsors, and it's only a matter of time before they all collapse in on themselves because of that. If that happens, would a new foundation spring up in it's place (and be one that's truly community-oriented)? Would Tovalds decide each distro development team has to designate a subsection of their developers to work on the kernel, and then have them collaborate with other ones? Would the kernel end up being forked and act as a replacement for the original? Or would each distro decide to become similar to BSD by having both its own OS and kernel?
 


I asked this question to other users in the past, but I wanted to get your input on it

While I'm not going to deny the achievements the Linux Foundation has made for Linux itself in the last several years (as there has been plenty of them), I will agree that it does have some guilt of being a corporate shill (and it has noted this criticism on occasion). To be fair, anyone, including corporations, has the right to use Linux however they choose (as that's the philosophy of FOSS), but many people in the community will agree the Foundation puts corporate interests above community ones, mainly because money talks. That being said, I recently began to wonder what would happen to the kernel if the foundation, or any of it's corporate sponsors, eventually went defunct. We've seen a number of controversies within the Foundation itself and it's sponsors, and it's only a matter of time before they all collapse in on themselves because of that. If that happens, would a new foundation spring up in it's place (and be one that's truly community-oriented)? Would Tovalds decide each distro development team has to designate a subsection of their developers to work on the kernel, and then have them collaborate with other ones? Would the kernel end up being forked and act as a replacement for the original? Or would each distro decide to become similar to BSD by having both its own OS and kernel?
Well dude, that is a tough question. The Linux Foundation has definitely played a huge role in the development of Linux, but it's not the only driving force behind it. The community has always been a big part of Linux's success, and there are plenty of developers and users who are passionate about keeping Linux free and open-source.

If the Linux Foundation went under, it's hard to say exactly what would happen. It's possible that a new foundation could spring up to take its place, or that the community would take on a bigger role in the development of the kernel. Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux, is still very involved in the project, so it's likely that he would have a big say in what happens next.

Ultimately, though, I think Linux is strong enough to survive even if the Linux Foundation were to collapse. The open-source philosophy is a powerful one, and there are so many people out there who are dedicated to keeping Linux free and accessible for everyone. So while it's always good to be prepared for the worst-case scenario, I wouldn't be too worried about the future of Linux.
 

Members online


Latest posts

Top