Linux Foundation, bored with Linux, launches Open Metaverse Foundation
Vaccines... Maps... Metaverse. You know. Anything but Linux.
In 2021, The Linux Foundation decided to branch out from their core business (“Linux”) to create an entire foundation focused on “Health” and, specifically, creating vaccine passports.
Was it weird that The Linux Foundation was now in the vaccine business?
Yes. Yes, it was.
Well, it appears that someone has dared Jim Zemlin — the head of The Linux Foundation — to keep making new projects and sub-foundations that make absolutely no sense. Perhaps, even, double-dog dared him.
Because yesterday — January 18th, 2023 — The Linux Foundation unveiled their latest attempt to do absolutely anything other than Linux.
The Open Metaverse Foundation.
That’s right. It’s what Facebook is doing with their Metaverse… except this is from The Linux Foundation. And, in theory, open source. Or something.
In an announcement blog post from the Open Metaverse Foundation director, Royal O’Brien:
“While the hype and fanfare surrounding the Metaverse is deafening, we’re excited to announce news that sets the stage for practical, powerful progress in building it, together.”
The “hype and fanfare surrounding the Metaverse is deafening”?
Considering such a large amount of the news coverage, and online discussion, related to Facebook/Meta’s “Metaverse” has ranged from “Skeptical” to “Openly Mocking”… one has to wonder what reality the Open Metaverse Foundation and Linux Foundation folks are living in.
Clearly, the majority of the Tech Industry agrees… as The Open Metaverse Foundation appears to have had a difficult time finding companies willing to become members of this new foundation. In fact, a large portion of this foundation’s “Members” are actually other parts of The Linux Foundation itself (such as “Cloud Native Computing Foundation”, “LF EDGE”, “LF Networking”, and “Hyperledger Foundation”).
Of course, that situation could change in the future — especially if The Open Metaverse Foundation manages to produce any working software. At the moment it appears to be merely an idea with no code behind it.
Is The Linux Foundation bored with Linux?
The Linux Foundation appears to be on a quest to find their next cash-cow. Vaccines? Maps? Metaverses? They are regularly launching new projects, trying to see what sticks.
Considering that neither vaccines nor metaverses have a whole heck of a lot to do with Linux — combined with the fact that The Linux Foundation only spends roughly 3% of their money on Linux — one has to wonder if their leadership has, quite simply, grown bored of Linux.
Do they see Linux as a dead end? Are their financial goals not achievable with Linux, alone?
Or, perhaps, are they simply tired of Linux altogether?
It will be interesting to see what new projects, and sub-Foundations, the Linux Foundation launches in the coming months… and to see if their focus and spending on Linux — their core business — changes going forward.
For that matter, will “The Linux Foundation” keep their name? How long before they re-brand… removing the word “Linux” entirely?
Whatever happens, one thing appears highly likely: The Linux Foundation will continue launching new endeavors… that have increasingly little to do with their original business and mission.
And The Lunduke Journal of Technology will continue to call attention to how absolutely peculiar that is.
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I must admit... I thought this was the weekly "joke" post. But the links were actual sites!
You could potentially argue that the IoT may warrant a fork from the Linux Foundation... but this is definitively strange. Thanks for sharing, Bryan.