The Linux Foundation Will Lead a Cross-Industry Open Source Group

The Linux Foundation, which has proven to be an effective steward for many open source initiatives, has announced that it will host the TODO Group, a cross-industry effort to focus on establishing best practices, tools and programs to support corporate open source engagement. The TODO Group was originally formed in November 2014, and the foundation will now be its steward.

The TODO Group has many heavy-hitting members, including Microsoft, Twitter, Yahoo, Facebook, GitHub, and Google. New members include Autodesk, CapitalOne, Netflix, and SanDisk. "As major technology innovators are pushing the limits on open source development to build fast and build well, there is a growing requirement to collaborate on best practices, tools and programs to support the code," noted The Linux Foundation.

According to the announcement:

"Open source software enables businesses to unite development resources and build common software solutions that ultimately save billions in R&D costs. More than 78 percent of companies cite a reliance on open source software in business operations (Channel Insider, Open-Source Software Reaches Near-Ubiquity). But while open source has become the de-facto standard for software development, there is a gap in the knowledge surrounding development, IP, training and certification, governance and more. These are critical components for establishing, building and sustaining open source projects for the long-term. Because The Linux Foundation today hosts some of the world's most critical open source projects and provides the events and training opportunities to support these projects, it is a natural home for the TODO Group."

 "From carmakers and banks to retailers and hospitals, every industry relies on open source software, and every company is an Internet company," said Jim Zemlin, executive director, The Linux Foundation. "The TODO Group reaches across industries to collaborate with open source technical and business leaders to share best practices, tools and programs for building dependable, effective projects for the long term."

"SanDisk saw the importance of investing in an open source office a few years ago and wholeheartedly supports companies following and sharing best practices in engaging with the open source community. The establishment of the TODO Group under The Linux Foundation is consistent with the role of The Linux Foundation to promote collaboration on best practices and policies in open source engagement. I look forward to sharing and working with my fellow open source officers at the sub-group," said Nithya Ruff, Director, Open Source Strategy Office, SanDisk.

For more information about the TODO Group, you can visit http://todogroup.org/.