In the best of times, the Linux Foundation gathers its members each year in a week’s long conversation about all things open source. Progress made, challenges uncovered and roadmaps revealed. It’s an opportunity for like-minded company and community leaders to learn from each other and this year was no different — except that it was.
Unbeknownst to its attendees, the last Member Summit in March 2019 (nee Leadership Summit) signaled the start of a long drought of this annual gathering — 32 months to be exact. The 2020 Member Summit was slated to commence just as the COVID pandemic took hold, forcing a cancellation. And in the run-up to last week’s meeting, the Linux Foundation adjusted, re-adjusted and then adjusted once more. Convening this meeting dictated new protocols, requiring vaccinations, masks and daily temperature checks. The event featured outdoor dining and socializing (bring a coat), large rooms with few chairs and a breezy atmosphere (the circulation on high and open windows) and red/yellow/green wristbands to signal everyone’s level of comfort with contact. For me, the protocols and extra layers were but minor trade-offs to seeing people in 3D — something that was both startling and delightful.
The week kicked off with Tuesday’s keynotes as Jim Zemlin took to the stage to not only welcome everyone but to also acknowledge and begin the celebration of 30 years of Linux. In his remarks, Zemlin formally declared that “open source won”—it’s now (and has been) a vital ingredient to all things software. You can’t build modern software without open source — nor would you want to. But, the open source journey is far from over; in fact it’s just beginning.
What’s Next, What’s New: Everything!
Hardly new to the headlines — security and the software supply chain grabbed a good deal of the stage as Thursday’s keynotes. Attendees heard about all the possibilities and challenges ahead. From sigstore to SLSA, there’s nothing but an abundance of projects for the open source community to tackle. Dan Lorenc’s keynote presented a sobering, yet hopeful view of the future. With new funding, a renewed emphasis on supply chain security, the OpenSSF and the myriad of projects across the landscape, it’s no surprise that security will remain in the headlines for months to come.
Helping community leaders, companies and project maintainers track and monitor open source contributions was the motivation for the Linux Foundation to build the LFX Platform. Throughout the week, attendees took a deeper look at the platform, including community dashboards, tooling, and self-guided analysis — all designed to shine a light on the dark corners of open source. With features like the Project Control dashboard, you can diagnose where projects are flourishing and why others might be languishing. By quickly spotting key contributors, and understanding project health, companies and communities can better allocate resources and make smarter investments.
Additional keynotes included the announcement of the newly created AGStack Foundation, updates from Linux Foundation Public Health and an intriguing presentation about the Alignment Problem in AI and ML. According to Brian Christian, researcher and author of “The Alignment Problem: Machine Learning and Human Values,” without careful attention and a deep understanding of desired outcomes, machine learning algorithms and the data models that feed them could result in unintended consequences — not unlike the situation depicted in the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Mickey’s intentions were innocent and seemingly straightforward: all he wanted was relief from dreaded chores. However, the end result was something entirely different and terrifying. As the uses for and investment in ML and AI proliferate, Christian provided a thoughtful but cautionary tale for all. We need to ensure that outcomes align with intent and that our intentions are clear and unambiguous.
The Summit ended with a well-deserved celebration of Linux at the evening’s closing ceremonies. Luminaries and leaders from past and present lauded the accomplishments of Linux and noted its many-fold impact beyond “just an operating system.” Here’s to 30 years of Linux and to the open source community and ethos it inspired.
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