The Linux Foundation’s Core Infrastructure Initiative Announces New Backers, First Projects to Receive Support and …

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 05/29/14 -- The Core Infrastructure Initiative (CII), a project hosted by The Linux Foundation that enables technology companies, industry stakeholders and esteemed developers to collaboratively identify and fund open source projects that are in need of assistance, today announced five new backers, the first projects to receive funding from the Initiative and the Advisory Board members who will help identify critical infrastructure projects most in need of support.

CII provides funding for fellowships for key developers to work fulltime on open source projects, security audits, computing and test infrastructure, travel, face-to-face meeting coordination and other support. The Steering Committee, comprised of members of the Initiative, and the Advisory Board of industry stakeholders and esteemed developers, are tasked with identifying underfunded open source projects that support critical infrastructure, and administering the funds through The Linux Foundation.

The computing industry has increasingly come to rely upon shared source code to foster innovation. But as this shared code has become ever more critical to society and more complex to build and maintain, there are certain projects that have not received the level of support commensurate with their importance. CII changes funding requests from the reactive post-crisis asks of today to proactive reviews identifying the needs of the most important projects. By raising funds at a neutral organization like The Linux Foundation, the industry can effectively give these projects the support they need while ensuring that open source projects retain their independence and community-based dynamism.

"All software development requires support and funding. Open source software is no exception and warrants a level of support on par with the dominant role it plays supporting today's global information infrastructure," said Jim Zemlin, executive director at The Linux Foundation. "CII implements the same collaborative approach that is used to build software to help fund the most critical projects. The aim of CII is to move from the reactive, crisis-driven responses to a measured, proactive way to identify and fund those projects that are in need. I am thrilled that we now have a forum to connect those in need with those with funds."

Additional Backers Represent Overwhelming Support for Open Source ProjectsAdditional founding members of CII include Adobe, Bloomberg, HP, Huawei and salesforce.com. These companies represent the ongoing and overwhelming support for the open source software that provides the foundation for today's global infrastructure. They join other members of CII who include Amazon Web Services, Cisco, Dell, Facebook, Fujitsu, Google, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, NetApp, Rackspace and VMware. Comments from some of the newest members are included below.

Range of Projects Prioritized for First Round of FundingUpon an initial review of critical open source software projects, the CII Steering Committee has prioritized Network Time Protocol, OpenSSH and OpenSSL for the first round of funding. OpenSSL will receive funds from CII for two, fulltime core developers. The OpenSSL project is accepting additional donations, which can be coordinated directly with the OpenSSL Foundation (contact at info@opensslfoundation.com).

The Open Crypto Audit Project (OCAP) will also receive funding in order to conduct a security audit of the OpenSSL code base. Other projects are under consideration and will be funded as assessments are completed and budget allows.

Esteemed Industry Experts Will Advise CII on Projects Most in NeedThe CII Advisory Board will inform the CII Steering Committee about the open source projects most in need of support. With highly esteemed experts from the developer, security and legal communities, the CII Advisory Board plays an important role in prioritizing projects and individuals who are building the software that runs our lives.

Alan Cox is a longtime Linux kernel developer and has been recognized by the Free Software Foundation for advancing free software.

Matthew Green is a Research Professor of Computer Science at the Johns Hopkins University and a co-founder of the Open Crypto Audit Project. His research focuses on computer security and cryptography, and particularly the way that cryptography can be used to promote individual privacy.

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The Linux Foundation's Core Infrastructure Initiative Announces New Backers, First Projects to Receive Support and ...