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AT&T Joins The Linux Foundation as a Platinum Member (linuxfoundation.org)

Posted by msmash on from the interesting-moves dept.

From a press release: The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit advancing professional open source management for mass collaboration, today announced that AT&T has become a Platinum member. This follows news of the company's contribution of several million lines of ECOMP code to The Linux Foundation, as well as the new Open Network Automation Platform (ONAP) Project based on production-ready code from AT&T and OPEN-O contributors. Chris Rice, senior vice president of AT&T Labs, joins The Linux Foundation Board of Directors and was also recently selected as the ONAP chairman. "Open source is crucial to AT&T's software transformation," said Chris Rice, chairman of ONAP and senior vice president of AT&T Labs. "So, it was a natural decision for us to join The Linux Foundation. SDN is helping us meet performance, capital spending and efficiency goals and we expect continued benefits. But more so, we recognize that the open source community accelerates innovation. We're excited to work with The Linux Foundation and its members to promote a globally accepted platform for SDN and NFV technologies."

20 of 40 comments (clear)

  1. Amusing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Although I know this isn't the same company that invented Unix, this is still funny.

    1. Re:Amusing by ChrisMaple · · Score: 1

      As it was in the beginning
      Is now and ever shall be
      Unix without end
      And Windows abend..

      --
      Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
  2. Re:And so it begins. by Anon-Admin · · Score: 1

    So, AT&T is just like the Leviathan on supernatural.

  3. I'd be concerned by DaMattster · · Score: 1

    AT&T is known to cooperate with government on wholesale spying. So, by joining the Linux Foundation, they can effectively introduce backdoors into the TCP/IP stack or any of it's contributions to SDN.

    1. Re:I'd be concerned by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

      I was just going to say.. Microsoft is getting involved with Linux, now AT&T? How much longer, do you all think, before there are enough big, nosy, control-freak corporate entities involved with Linux, to subvert it into just another spyware/malware platform like Windows? At some point I'm sure they'd manage to do away with this silly inconvenient 'open source' nonsense, seeing as how they'll have invested all the time and money and manpower into it, right?

      So, when Linux is fully owned and subverted, what will the next 'free open source' operating system be called?

    2. Re:I'd be concerned by StormReaver · · Score: 1

      At some point I'm sure they'd manage to do away with this silly inconvenient 'open source' nonsense, seeing as how they'll have invested all the time and money and manpower into it, right?

      There are some serious obstacles to that, the most obvious being:

      1) They would have to get copyright law changed so that it is no longer valid.

      or

      2) They would have to rewrite Linux themselves.

      or

      3) They would have to contact all the copyright holders, and convince them to sell out.

      In short, don't lose any sleep over your concerns.

    3. Re:I'd be concerned by GerryGilmore · · Score: 2

      You are crazy, or you know absolutely nothing about how code is integrated into the Linux kernel and other software stacks. Seriously, has the whole fucking country become nothing but an asylum of conspiracy-nutcases? Crikey!!

    4. Re: I'd be concerned by Cmdln+Daco · · Score: 1

      NetBSD, actually. Those 80386-only hackers are just lazy sots.

    5. Re: I'd be concerned by meunier.norm · · Score: 1

      So it looks like all the enemies of computing freedom and privacy are becoming Platinum members. I am starting to wonder who is vetting applicants. It looks as if they're using the same tactic used to get a "heart smart" logo attached to unhealthy food. All you need to do is hand over a wad of cash.

    6. Re: I'd be concerned by meunier.norm · · Score: 1

      Nothing good ever seems to last. Money doesn't buy happiness, just influence.

    7. Re: I'd be concerned by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      There is a video out there somewhere of Linus at a keynote answering the question, "Has the government ever asked you to add a backdoor to Linux?" Linus responded, "No," while nodding his head yes.

    8. Re:I'd be concerned by sabbede · · Score: 1

      "Big, nosy, control-freak corporate entities" like Oracle, Cisco, Samsung, Huawei, IBM, Intel, Facebook, Lenovo or ZTE? (take a look: https://www.linuxfoundation.or...)

  4. Ouch... by XSportSeeker · · Score: 1

    Is it just me or there has been a whole number of corporations and businesses that are basically the epitome of anti-free software as they can be becoming platinum, gold, silver and whatnot members of the Linux Foundation?

    1. Re:Ouch... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Follow the money, corporations aren't the only ones doing it.

    2. Re:Ouch... by JustNiz · · Score: 1

      The ultimate irony is that Microsoft is a platinum member.

  5. Don't forget by fredrated · · Score: 1

    the original AT&T created Unix.

    1. Re:Don't forget by alexborges · · Score: 1

      Then proceded to sue the pants off Berkeley ... ah the Unix wars... those were the days, maaaaan....

      --
      NO SIG
  6. Re:Linux jumped the shark by bjwest · · Score: 1

    So.... You going back to Windows?

    --

    --- Keep the choice with the user..
  7. Re:Linux jumped the shark by sabbede · · Score: 1

    Microsoft is also a platinum member.

  8. Frenemy by Trelaine · · Score: 1

    AT&T's motives have to be covertly hostile.