| Industry Leaders Launch Desktop Linux Consortium |
Feb. 04, 2003
Organization responds to rising demand for open standards, lower licensing fees
Responding to the overwhelming interest in Desktop Linux, representatives from key firms and organizations today announced the formation of the Desktop Linux Consortium, or DLC. The vendor-neutral association will promote interests and raise awareness of the emerging role and benefits offered by GNU/Linux on the desktop. Consortium members comprise both commercial companies and open source organizations that are developing and shaping the technology that will speed the adoption rate of Linux to the desktop.
Formation committee members represent community leaders and firms that are central to Desktop Linux-related technologies. Companies and organizations announcing support for today's announcement include ArkLinux, CodeWeavers, Debian.org, DesktopLinux.com, KDE, Linux Professional Institute (LPI), Lycoris, The Linux Terminal Server Project (LTSP), MandrakeSoft, NeTraverse, OpenOffice.org, Questnet (Support4Linux.com), Samba.org, theKompany, SuSE, TransGaming Technologies, TrustCommerce, Xandros, and Ximian.
Additional companies will be announced shortly. Membership is open to those companies pioneering Linux and related technologies for desktop computing.
Bruce Perens, long time Linux developer and well known open source community leader said, "The Desktop Linux Consortium will assure that there is fairness in all Desktop Linux-related issues and events. All vendors will be fully represented and the open source ethos will be respected."
Linus Torvalds, creator of Linux, said "We already have all of the tools, in Open Source software, necessary for 80 percent of office workers in the world: an office suite including spreadsheet, word processor, and presentation program; a web browser, graphical desktop with file manager, and tools for communications, scheduling, and personal information management. The Linux desktop is inevitable!"
Targeting the needs of corporate, institutional, and home users, the DLC will help shape the future of Linux on the desktop. Open standards, lower licensing fees, proven and reliable technologies, along with a vast worldwide developer base underscore GNU/Linux as the ideal software platform for end-user computing. Group initiatives will include trade shows, conferences, and participation in Consortium-sponsored public relations activities and programs.
"The initial intentions for the DLC are very clear," said interim chairman Jeremy White. "Linux is firmly established in the server space, and now desktop Linux is coming of age. The goal of the DLC is to amplify the depth, breadth, and speed of Linux adoption in the enormous desktop computer market."
Broad corporate participation in the DLC organizational meeting underscores the exploding interest in Desktop Linux. The DLC will serve to facilitate development of common messages on using Linux in personal desktop computing, in governmental systems and in schools to name just a few of the fast-emerging growth areas worldwide.
Interim leadership for the forming organization includes Bruce Perens as interim executive director. Jeremy White, CEO of CodeWeavers, has agreed to serve as the interim chairperson. The board membership and organizational charter will be determined by the founding companies over the next several weeks.
The Desktop Linux Consortium will be incorporated as a non-profit trade association. Membership is open to companies and open source organizations throughout the world who offer products that support Desktop Linux. With today's announcement, the DLC has established a formation committee, appointed interim leadership, and adopted an aggressive timetable of ninety days to formally institute the group's governing body. Funds for the DLC's operation will be based on a schedule of annual dues, scaled to assure broad participation by both commercial firms and open source organizations. Consortium provisions will allow both commercial and non-commercial projects to work side by side in delivering joint messages and programs that promote the adoption of Linux on the desktop.
The ultimate beneficiary of the Consortium is the computing public, which will be assured a vibrant, open, stable alternative to closed proprietary systems and applications, interoperability, and an end to ever-escalating licensing fees.
Additional details and membership application can be found at the DLC website . For media and other inquiries, please contact media representative for the Desktop Linux Consortium, Jill Ratkevic at 408-209-5181, or jill@desktoplinuxconsortium.org
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