Open source software maker Untangle has officially joined the Linux Foundation, a consortium that aims to promote adoption of the Linux operating system and collaboration between major Linux contributors.

The Linux Foundation launched in 2007 when the Free Standards Group merged with the Open Source Development Labs. The organization employs Linus Torvalds, maintains the Linux Standard Base specification, and hosts Linux events.

The Linux Foundation is funded by its members. Untangle has joined as a silver-ranking member, which means that its annual contribution is somewhere between $5,000 and $20,000. The specific amount of Untangle's annual contribution has not been disclosed. Other prominent silver members include Red Hat, Dell, Sun, DreamWorks, and Adobe.

Untangle's open source network gateway software is distributed under the General Public License and includes components for antivirus, spam blocking, intrusion prevention, and other security-related applications. The company's business model is built around support and sale of commercial add-ons.

I met some of the folks from Untangle when I was at LinuxWorld earlier this year, where they conducted an installfest. They refurbished and installed Ubuntu on donated computers which were then given to schools.

The rate at which the Linux Foundation is gathering new corporate members is a pretty good indication that the organization still has relevance in the open source ecosystem. Other companies that have joined in the past few months include Canonical, CME, and Black Duck.

Further reading

