Open source to fuel the future of gaming, cloud computing, Linux Foundation says

The future of gaming and cloud computing may not quite be with Microsoft or Apple software, but with free and open source software, the Linux Foundation has claimed.

 

Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Linux Foundation, made this claim in his State of Linux speech at LinuxCon and CloudOpen North America in New Orleans.

 

"Linux is the default model for new areas of innovation," Zemlin said, adding companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter are built on free and open source software.

 

He added this pattern is defining success in computing, including the major shifts toward cloud computing and a web-centric application model.

 

Zemlin also said Linux is leading the charge in the shift to cloud and web-scale computing, replacing Unix as the operating system for servers.

 

"Every IT trend is being developed on top of free and open source software. I can throw a dart and it hits a company being created on free and open source," he said.

 

From Twitter to Valve

 

Zemlin noted popular micro-blogging service Twitter uses open-source software at its core, with 10 to 15 percent of its engineering staff involved in Twitter-related open source projects.

 

On the other hand, gaming service Valve's co-founder Gabe Newell said he is convinced Linux "is the future of gaming."

 

Valve released its Steam web platform for Linux last February, but builds and runs all of its source code, animation and assets on Linux, Newell added.

 

He added gaming is shifting "from console platforms with price and access controlled by PC makers, to web-based free-to-play and massive multiplayer online games."

 

"Valve became convinced that Linux is the future of gaming," Newell said.

 

Valve now has 198 games ported to Linux, with developers working on contributions to other open-source projects.

 

Unification

 

The next step now is to reconcile the fragmentation of Linux, whose variants are scattered in mobile, living room and desktop devices.

 

Linux.com said engineers are working on a "grand unification" of these flavors. — ELR, GMA News