Reading through the list of projects that the Linux Foundation supports (via infrastructure, governance, events, etc) with the other 181 million is honestly shocking. They are supporting, among like a thousand others - NodeJS/OpenJS, PyTorch, Electron, K8s, vLLM, ONNX, PX4, GraphQL - plus the 'smaller' entries like Zephyr, Containerd, gRPC, KiCAD, ESLint, Fastify, etc. Their portfolio is literally insane. This is the BlackRock of the entire digital world.
Without bending over backwards to defend the Linux Foundation, I'll point out that the 97% number means very little -- the percentage that actually matters is the percentage that doesn't go towards funding open source at all. The Linux Foundation hasn't been solely about Linux for decades; they are (facially) responsible for hosting a very large number of open source projects.
I've had occasional concerns about the Linux Foundation and how it operates, but there's no question it has been a transformative contribution to Open Source.
A bunch of folks decided to get off their butts and gather donations to support Linux... and then it snowballed. Cool. The creators and members get to decide how they contribute, and projects get to decide if they want to participate. There are alternatives for projects that need to "raise and spend", and some are 501(c)(3).
(Also keep in mind that techrights.org has been an unhinged shit sheet attacking individuals and companies for insufficient purity for decades now.)
2% on the Linux kernel. 1% on open hardware. 4% on blockchain.
I think that says it.
They do support many other projects and seem to be stewards of the Linux ecosystem in general, but... 4% on blockchain?! I also feel many other projects should have their own funding: they're key to many businesses and that the 'Linux' foundation sponsors them is (a) good but (b) misplaced in the overall messed up system that is open source reliance and sponsorship.
I see a whole boatload of fairly big and important open source infrastructure projects that run on Linux. Sure, maybe 97% of its budget doesn't go directly to the linux kernel, but they're supporting a lot of critical stuff.
The title is misleading in that it makes people think only 3% goes to Linux as a whole, while that number is about the linux kernel only.
Some other comments mention blockchain: one could argue for or against endorsing blockchain technology, but that doesn't seem to be the point of this article.
> Linus Torvalds is not in charge and is no longer compensated fairly, either. The highest paid people don't even use Linux. Torvalds is no longer in the top 10 (not anymore).
And then link to a filing that shows his “compensation” being lower than the others but also having an extra million dollars in the “other” column.
Another angle is that most donations to Linux kernel are in the form of paid employees doing kernel work. I wonder how much the kernel need besides that.
Well this is in line with the fact the LF has been quiet about these new Age Verification laws. The LF should be very vocal about how these laws will hurt Linux.
It is almost seems like the LF wants these laws :(
I have some experience with the CNCF and oh boy is it a huge powergrab with excuse of inclusivity, wokeness and all the stuff that comes with it. Rarely seen so many self serving people that are in it for themselves as in the CNCF.
What I see here is a great risk, something not immediately recognizable.
A "hundreds of millions" initiative fueling a "trillions" market.
I suspect that controlling the LF can lead to a really huge power over markets or, at least, a very cheap kill switch.
Over 97% of the 'Linux' Foundation's Budget Goes Not to Linux
(techrights.org)146 points by esaym 9 hours ago | 87 comments
Comments
180 million (~65%) towards ancillary project support, which includes a huge ecosystem of useful technologies around linux
Their 'corporate operations' overhead is like 5% of expenses. whoop.
A bunch of folks decided to get off their butts and gather donations to support Linux... and then it snowballed. Cool. The creators and members get to decide how they contribute, and projects get to decide if they want to participate. There are alternatives for projects that need to "raise and spend", and some are 501(c)(3).
(Also keep in mind that techrights.org has been an unhinged shit sheet attacking individuals and companies for insufficient purity for decades now.)
There's more to Linux than the kernel.
I think that says it.
They do support many other projects and seem to be stewards of the Linux ecosystem in general, but... 4% on blockchain?! I also feel many other projects should have their own funding: they're key to many businesses and that the 'Linux' foundation sponsors them is (a) good but (b) misplaced in the overall messed up system that is open source reliance and sponsorship.
https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/460...
Some other comments mention blockchain: one could argue for or against endorsing blockchain technology, but that doesn't seem to be the point of this article.
> Linus Torvalds is not in charge and is no longer compensated fairly, either. The highest paid people don't even use Linux. Torvalds is no longer in the top 10 (not anymore).
And then link to a filing that shows his “compensation” being lower than the others but also having an extra million dollars in the “other” column.
https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/460...
It kind of looks like if you count the extra million dollars earmarked for him he would be the highest-paid person on the list?
It is almost seems like the LF wants these laws :(
16M on event services
only 8M on the kernel
Thanks for reminding me why i do not support nor respect this criminal foundation full of fraudsters
Yes, downvote away.