Facebook is one of the most popular contributors to open-source software, and it is time they joined The Linux Foundation. The company is known for contributing to projects like the Open Compute Project, React JavaScript library, cGroup2 GraphQL, Osquery, ONNX, and Presto.
Facebook signing up as a Platinum member, means that Kathy Kam, the head of open-source at the company, will sit on The Linux Foundation board. Kam has been in engineering for 20 years, done product management, and has excellent experience in the open-source world.
She previously worked at Google and Microsoft.
Expanding open innovation
The Linux Foundation wrote in their blog about the projects Facebook has worked on that leverage open source to unlock the potential of making innovation accessible to everyone. They include projects like Facebook’s Connectivity Initiative.
That particular project works with the open-source Telecom Infra Project Foundation, to bring fast and reliable internet service to secluded and remote parts. They make it easy for telecommunication companies to deploy their mobile network infrastructure in hard-to-reach areas.
Another program run by Facebook as open-source is the Data for Good program, which uses geographical data to address humanitarian issues. They include exciting works like Deepfake Detection Challenge and making it easy to manage the Covid-19 crisis.
A sponsorship to grow
Facebook also created PyTorch, which is a machine learning library used for apps that deal with things like natural language processing and computer vision.
The Linux Foundation has always been at the forefront of open innovation. They have played and continues to play a very crucial role in the success of Linux and other broader programs associated with the missions of the foundation.
The open-source eco-system will benefit from the sponsorship and hopefully ensure that the foundation thrives.