Lunduke
News • Science & Tech
The Linux Foundation has practically abandoned Linux
Long Term Linux Kernel support is the latest casualty
October 02, 2023
post photo preview

As we all know, The Linux Foundation has continually lowered its direct support for the Linux Kernel almost every year -- with the quarter-Billion dollar (annual) foundation spending a measly 3.2% of its annual expenditures on Linux.

In fact...

The Foundation that controls Linux spends less on Linux, every year, than they spend on "Blockchain", "Artificial Intelligence", "Compliance Best Practices", and a wide variety of other projects.  Heck, they even make "Vaccine Passports" and a "Metaverse" competitor nowadays.

Linux Foundation Spending, 2022

All of which has prompted many -- including The Lunduke Journal -- to point out that "The Linux Foundation" isn't really about Linux anymore.

And, as if to drive the point home, it has now been announced -- at the Linux Foundation's Open Source Summit -- that Long Term Support versions of the Linux Kernel will be killed off entirely.

From the Kernel Report presentation by Kernel maintainer (and LWN editor) Jonathan Corbet:

"the six-year update policy is going away. When 4.14 goes out of support… early next year… there will not be another six-year kernel to replace it."

The plan appears to be to stop all support of "Long Term Support" versions of the Linux Kernel.  Effectively dropping the longest amount of time a given Kernel branch is supported from 6 years... down to just 2 years.

At a time when The Linux Foundaiton profits are soaring... support for the core Linux kernel is being scalled back in a highly significant way.

The Lunduke Journal isn't the only publication concerned about this.  This quote from Liam Proven at The Register makes a solid point:

"with big companies from around the world proudly talking about their use of open source and their large-scale adoption of Linux, the core project behind it all, the kernel itself, is under-resourced and under-funded."

Here's the thing:

I don't blame the existing Linux Kernel maintainers for scaling back support for the Linux Kernel.  A great many of them are unpaid and overworked.

If only there were some... I dunno... Foundation... which brings in roughly a quarter of a Billion dollars (that's Billion with a capital B) specifically chartered with supporting the Linux Kernel.  You know... a Foundation with "Linux" right in the name.  That sort of Foundation sure could be useful right about now.

Unfortunately The Linux Foundation is too preoccupied with Blockchains, Vaccine Passports, The Metaverse, Climate Change, and A.I. to spend their money and resources supporting the very project they were created to support.

At this point it is crystal clear: The Linux Foundation has almost completely abandoned Linux.

I know.  That sounds utterly riridulous.  

Because it is.

Alas, that is the state of things. It's not even really up for debate.  It just is what it is.

Now, here's a question worth asking:

If one Foundation has primary control over Linux -- managing the trademark, with the most central kernel figures as employees -- and that Foundation is now primarily about doing anything but Linux... what happens to Linux?

It's worth pondering on.  Because it's happening right now.

community logo
Join the Lunduke Community
To read more articles like this, sign up and join my community today
18
What else you may like…
Videos
Podcasts
Posts
Articles
December 10, 2024
Al "Slop" Bug Reports Hurting Python, Curl, & Other Open Source Projects

"Low-quality, spammy, and LLM hallucinated security reports" taking time away from real bugs and features.

00:20:58
December 09, 2024
Microsoft Lessening TPM Requirement for Windows 11?

One week after doubling down on the TPM requirement, Microsoft lightens up. A little. But... why?

00:08:32
December 09, 2024
Inaccurate Computing: AI, Quantum, & The Error-Filled Future

Traditional, binary computing is built on extreme accuracy and consistency. Quantum Computing & Al are founded in uncertainty and computational hallucinations.

What does that mean for the future of computing in general?

00:24:36
November 22, 2023
The futility of Ad-Blockers

Ads are filling the entirety of the Web -- websites, podcasts, YouTube videos, etc. -- at an increasing rate. Prices for those ad placements are plummeting. Consumers are desperate to use ad-blockers to make the web palatable. Google (and others) are desperate to break and block ad-blockers. All of which results in... more ads and lower pay for creators.

It's a fascinatingly annoying cycle. And there's only one viable way out of it.

Looking for the Podcast RSS feed or other links? Check here:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4619051/lunduke-journal-link-central-tm

Give the gift of The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4898317/give-the-gift-of-the-lunduke-journal

The futility of Ad-Blockers
November 21, 2023
openSUSE says "No Lunduke allowed!"

Those in power with openSUSE make it clear they will not allow me anywhere near anything related to the openSUSE project. Ever. For any reason.

Well, that settles that, then! Guess I won't be contributing to openSUSE! 🤣

Looking for the Podcast RSS feed or other links?
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4619051/lunduke-journal-link-central-tm

Give the gift of The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4898317/give-the-gift-of-the-lunduke-journal

openSUSE says "No Lunduke allowed!"
September 13, 2023
"Andreas Kling creator of Serenity OS & Ladybird Web Browser" - Lunduke’s Big Tech Show - September 13th, 2023 - Ep 044

This episode is free for all to enjoy and share.

Be sure to subscribe here at Lunduke.Locals.com to get all shows & articles (including interviews with other amazing nerds).

"Andreas Kling creator of Serenity OS & Ladybird Web Browser" - Lunduke’s Big Tech Show - September 13th, 2023 - Ep 044

For the music AND Linux nerds!

I spent about an hour testing Grok's image recognition feature, this morning. The results were far less than impressive... (Swipe/scroll for more images)

5 hours ago

As someone who has done a fair share of wifi troubleshooting, this was pretty freaking fascinating

https://blog.apnic.net/2024/05/17/a-transport-protocols-view-of-starlink/

post photo preview
Linux Foundation Drops Linux Spending to Historic Lows in 2024
Plus: Skyrocketing revenue, and no mention of "Diversity" or "Climate Change".

The Linux Foundation, earlier today, released their 2024 Annual Report.  And, hoo boy, is it a doozy.

The short-short version: Massive increase in revenue (now close to $300 Million Dollars), with spending on Linux continuing to drop to historically low numbers.

And, in a dramatic departure from previous years, almost zero discussion of politically charged topics (such as Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Climate Change).

Let's start with the numbers.

 

Skyrocketing Revenue

 

First and foremost, it's worth pointing out that -- as of this year -- revenue for The Linux Foundation is closing in on 1/3rd of a Billion Dollars annually.

 

While The Linux Foundation may technically be a "non profit", those numbers would make many "for profit" corporations blush.  Massive, steady income growth.

Where does the largest bulk of that revenue come from?  Corporate "membership" dues, naturally.  To the tune of over $125 Million USD.

 

With the highest paying corporate members being the likes of Meta, Microsoft, Oracle, Samsun, Red Hat (IBM), Huawei, and the like.

 

 

These corporations pay a premium to have a seat on The Linux Foundation Board of Directors.  Which, it should be pointed out, consists of over 70% GPL violators.

 

 

Spending on Linux

 

One of the peculiar facts about The Linux Foundation is how surprisingly little of their income they spend on... Linux.

And, perhaps even more peculiar still, is the fact that the percentage of their revenue spent on Linux appears to decrease every year.

In 2021, The Linux Foundation spent roughly 3.4% of their revenue on their namesake project.  As of 2024... that number appears to be down to 2.3%.

 

 

And this isn't simply a matter of overall percentages going down (while revenue rises).  Spending on the Linux Kernel is down, year on year, in terms of actual US Dollars as well.

 

 

In fact, the amount currently spent on "Corporate Operations" for The Linux Foundation... is roughly 3 times that of what is spent on the Linux kernel.

As time goes on -- and spending numbers become finalized -- we are gaining an increasingly clear picture of the spending priorities of The Linux Foundation.

 

No Diversity in 2024?

 

In the previous annual report (2023), "Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion" were a critical component.

In the 2023 report:

  • "Diversity" was mentioned 34 times
  • "Inclusion" 17 times.
  • With the general "DEI" topic -- including "LGBTQ" issues -- being a critical component throughout the report.  Page after page of DEI.

This year, in the 2024 report, the words "Diversity", "Equity", and "Inclusion" are never used.  Not once.

Well.  Once.  Barely.  On the second to the last page, in a footnote, you find the following statement: "75% of [travel] funding went to diverse community members."  That, right there is the sum total of discussion around "diversity".

In fact, the "LGBT" acronym is also never used in the most recent report (another significant change from previous years).

This appears to mark a dramatic shift, away from "DEI", for The Linux Foundation.  At least in terms of messaging.

 

No Climate Change, Either?

 

The 2024 Linux Foundation annual report also contains absolutely no reference to "Climate Change".

"Wait, why would the Linux Foundation be talking about Climate Change," you ask?

Well.  Last year, in 2023, the annual report was filled to the brim with Climate Change -- with 37 distinct references and over 10 pages focused on the topic.

That focus appears to no longer be a priority for The Linux Foundation.

 

The Right to Fork

 

One of the most prominent new topics of the 2024 report was "the right to fork".  Something previous annual reports stayed clear of almost entirely.

 

“The right to fork open source code is at the core of open source licensing. All open source licenses grant the right to fork their code, that is to start a new development effort using an existing code as its base. Thus, code forking represents the single greatest tool available for guaranteeing sustainability in open source software.

 

In addition to bolstering program sustainability, code forking directly affects the governance of open source initiatives. Forking, and even the mere possibility of forking code, affects the governance and sustainability of open source initiatives on three distinct levels: software, community, and ecosystem.”

 

This is particularly interesting, given the stated intention for Russia to hard-fork Linux over the recent ban of Russian programmers from being official kernel maintainers.

 

Other Oddities

 

A few other facts which are worth noting from the 2024 Annual Report:

  • Neither the Executive Director, nor the Board Chair -- in their several pages long opening messages -- mentions the Linux Kernel.  Nor desktop, server, or mobile Linux.  Strange, right?
  • The 2024 Annual Report is only 45 pages long.  Compared to the 2023 report, which clocks in at 160 pages.
  • There is absolutely no mention of the mass banning of Russian developers during 2024.
  • Nor of the various other developers banned from the Linux Kernel this year.

What does all of this mean?  Will the decreasing spending on Linux continue into 2025?  Will the decreased emphasis on messaging around "DEI" issues translate to real-world changes?  Will the "right to fork" emphasis continue if Russia follows through with their proposed Linux kernel fork?

Lots of questions.  Lots and lots of them.

Read full Article
December 10, 2024
The Lunduke Journal Free Show & Article Archive

The Massive Free Lunduke Journal Archive

Looking for a particular video or article?  Below you will find a sampling of Lunduke Journal content, all of which is free for the world to enjoy (subscribers and non-subscribers alike).  

The following list is nowhere near complete -- and is being added to constantly.  If you're looking for a searchable, sortable index of every article and show, you'll want to go to The Lunduke Journal Content Archive at Lunduke.Locals.com/content (which is an added benefit for Lunduke Journal subscribers).

 

Lunduke Journal Articles

(You won't find these many of these stories covered anywhere else.)

Lunduke Journal Computer History Articles

Other Very Nerdy Articles

Lunduke Journal Regular Shows

"Linux Sucks" Shows (in order)

Read full Article
December 08, 2024
$10 Off Yearly, & Discounted Lifetime Lunduke Journal Subscriptions
(Available through end of day Monday, December 9th.)

The Lunduke Journal is 100% ad-free and 100% free from the influence of Big Tech.

To pull off this feat, we run the occasional mini-fundraiser.  A couple days of fundraising and sales to keep every show and article completely free of ads.  Which is pretty sweet.

As of right now -- after 2 days of fundraising last week -- we are just a little short of hitting our December funding needs.

To help push us over the finish line -- and keep the lights on here at The Lunduke Journal -- we're running a super quick sale with two sweet deals:

These deals are available through end of the day, Monday, December 9th.

Want to support truly independent Tech Journalism?  Scroll down.  Pick the subscription deal that's best for you.  Every single penny goes directly towards keeping The Lunduke Journal running (and sticking it to Big Tech).

$10 Off Yearly Subscription

Now through end of day Monday (Dec 9), you can grab a yearly subscription with a $10 discount.

The Famous Lifetime Subscription

The "World Famous Lunduke Journal Lifetime Subscription" is exactly what it sounds like. Pay once and get full access to The Lunduke Journal (with all the perks). For life.

New Lifetime Subscriptions are available, for $200, from now through Monday, December 9th. Then this option goes "back into the vault".

Here's how to grab one of these coveted bad boys for yourself:

  • Go to Lunduke.Locals.com/support.

  • Select "Give Once".

  • Enter "200" into the amount field.

  • After checking out, Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status. (This usually happens within a few hours.)

The Famous Lifetime Subscription (with Bitcoin)

You can also obtain a Lifetime Subscription via Bitcoin.

  • Make sure you have a Lunduke.Locals.com account (a free account works just fine).

  • Send $200 worth of Bitcoin (or more) to the following address:

bc1qyjakve8fywm8pz2v99v57yhjj0vzr2vjze6fcq

  • Email "bryan at lunduke.com" with the following information: What time you made the transaction, how much was sent (in Bitcoin), and the email address you use (or plan to use) on Locals.com.

 

Every subscription is appreciated!  You amazing nerds make The Lunduke Journal possible!

-Lunduke

Read full Article
See More
Available on mobile and TV devices
google store google store app store app store
google store google store app tv store app tv store amazon store amazon store roku store roku store
Powered by Locals