Linux Foundation

Background and Scope

Open-source projects have a very different history to interface standards. They focus on the actual implementation of a system, not just the interfaces to the system. Unlike most hardware, software can be easily changed in order to augment features, improve performance, and/or remove bugs, and the core principle of open source is to allow anyone access to the software source code to make such improvements. A further objective for some open-source projects is that any improvements are then contributed back so the improvements are also publicly available. The Linux Foundation grew out of the organisation developed by Linus Torvalds to support his open-source project, Linux, developing an open-source equivalent to the proprietary UNIX operating system, and using a particular software licence called the GNU Public Licence (GPL).

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The Linux Foundation (LF) now supports a very wide range of open-source projects where projects are self-standing and self-funding , but coordinated into larger activities.

There are at least three such groups which are of particular interest for telecoms. First, the LF Networking Fund (a group of projects which have grown out of network functions virtualisation (NFV) including its orchestration and management), second, the LF AI and Data Foundation, and third the Cloud Networking Compute Foundation (which supports many projects in the virtualisation infrastructure, both for NFV and network hosted applications). In each case, funding is centralised and coordinated yet there is still a level of autonomy within the individual projects.

Organisation and Working Methods

The result of an open-source project is running code, and the Linux Foundation’s working methods are therefore quite different to that of most standards bodies. In many ways, the software tools that support the software development are as important as the human organisational structure.

Central to this is the GIT protocol/file system (also developed by Linus Torvalds) which tracks changes in the source code across all contributors to the project. This allows anyone to download the latest version (or historic versions) and make changes to the code. These changed versions can then be ‘merged’ back into the original.

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The project management function therefore looks not just about who is working on new features / performance enhancements / bug fixes, but also who has authority to accept ‘merge requests’ into the primary code base.

As such, successful projects tend to have strong leadership and control, and are rather less of ‘contribution-led, consensus-basis’ endeavour, as per the maxim of the ITU.

Participation normally requires membership through an organisation, while influence and status within a project is normally earned through making helpful and competent code contributions.

Linux Foundation Projects