The NWC Interview: Jim Zemlin, Executive Director, Linux Foundation

Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Linux Foundation's recently formed consortium, was interviewed for Network Computing.

The Linux Foundation has become a replacement for two organizations at once - the Open Source Development Labs and the Free Stadarts Group. What will the consortium do that they did not do?

The new organization does not plan to spend a lot of time promoting the idea of ​​open source or Linux as a business platform. Instead, we will protect Linux from our proprietary competitors.
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For example, we will provide financial and legal support in case of proceedings similar to those that are currently under way with SCO . We will also organize legal support for developers so that people such as, for example, Linus Torvalds, can work calmly.

Many companies in the consortium actually compete (Red Hat and Novell, IBM and HP). Is it possible to persuade them to adopt common standards?

It's complicated. But history tells us that people can unite in strategic alliances when the stakes are high. Competitors in the Linux ecosystem have a great incentive to work together against a proprietary monopolist in the form of Microsoft Windows.

Will you master such an opponent? Microsoft has thousands of its own developers, thousands of partner companies and, finally, a bank account of $ 29 billion.

Let me clarify our position on Microsoft: we think they are an undoubtedly successful company. They do an excellent job of protecting their platform with the help of a huge legal department. They induce fear into the market through various marketing moves. And their standards are ubiquitous.

The task of the Linux community is to figure out for themselves what exactly they do in MS, and to do it no less effectively all together.

You admire the enemy. Not asked to join Microsoft?

No, they did not.

How soon will the imbalance of applications between Linux and Windows be corrected?

Very fast. The great advantage of the open-source development environment is the rapid exchange of knowledge through the exchange of code and innovation. There are no Linux releases between releases of the Linux OS and there has never been a 7-year gap: everyone works together. Application developers do not need to wait to add the functionality that consumers want.

Now you can see the strong server side of the Linux ecosystem. Soon you will see progress in the field of "desktops".

Is it really? The share of Linux in this area is negligible.

I admit that Microsoft is a huge monopoly. But there are enough regions in the world that have a reason to promote Linux as an alternative to MS Windows in order to build a national software ecosystem. Open source gives them a great opportunity to freely use their knowledge and realize their innovations on this basis. I think that you will soon see a very rapid reduction in the lag in building efficient and cost-effective "desktop" systems.

Earlier you said that Linus Torvalds will be your employee. In our age of openness of information, can you name his salary?

No, I can not: this is a secret. But I tell you for sure: we will pay him.