At The Linux Foundation, we are lucky to work directly with many of the most innovative companies in the world. We all know the big names like Google, IBM and Intel but as Linux use has expanded into new segments – especially in the embedded industry – we get to work with smaller, but no less innovative companies. The best part is helping them make the most of Linux by getting involved in the community. As an example, we recently completed software compliance and community involvement training at set-to-box manufacturer Altech UEC.
We traveled to South Africa to help them understand how to deploy Linux and open source software to power their set-top-box technology. Altech made use of The Linux Foundation’s Compliance Training resources to educate their developers and their executives on the process and steps required in staying compliant with open source licenses. This is obviously a smart move, but Altech took it farther by also using the Linux Foundation to understand how the community works and how to engage directly. As they say in a recent case study:
“Not only did we need to better understand how to comply with third-party open source software, we wanted to better understand how to engage with the open source community to maximize it for our products,” said Steve Comfort, a systems engineer at Altech UEC. “We knew that open source software could also help us innovate but management didn’t start listening until Android and MeeGo made it clear that the rules of the game were changing.” Altech UEC expects that this investment will pay off in the long run, due to a combination of the increased productivity that FOSS offers and greater customer satisfaction derived from open source ecosystems such as Android and MeeGo.
The Linux Foundation’s Open Compliance Program helps companies understand how to work and excel in today’s mixed world of proprietary and open source software. In the case of Altech UEC, a number of engineers came together with The Linux Foundation to organize a software process to achieve compliance. And, the executive team met with The Linux Foundation’s Director of Open Compliance to better understand the importance of open source software and how to engage with the community.
If your company is new to Linux or open source and you think we can help, please consider joining the Linux Foundation or contact us here.