Zerodha chief technology officer Kailash Nadh on October 16 announced the launch of a dedicated $1-million annual fund aimed at supporting Free/Libre and Open Source Software (FOSS/FLOSS) projects globally.
Nadh emphasised the importance of FOSS in Zerodha's success, acknowledging that the company has been built on open-source tools and technologies — from programming languages to databases.
"A significant portion of our success and growth is owed to FOSS, encompassing everything from programming languages to operating systems, to databases, web servers, frontend frameworks, productivity tools, code editors, and absolutely everything. It goes without saying that this holds true for nearly every technology company founded in the last decade, whether it is publicly acknowledged or not," Nadh wrote in a blogpost.
The company plans to allocate between $10,000 and $100,000 per recipient, managed by a small team that will operate like an open source funding office (OSFO).
What is FOSS/FLOSS?
Free/Libre and Open Source Software (FOSS/FLOSS) refers to software that anyone can use, modify and share for free. The source code is open to everyone, allowing developers to see how the software works, adapt it for their needs and contribute improvements back to the community.
Well-known FOSS examples include Linux and Firefox.
The new fund represents a structured effort to provide financial support to FOSS projects, ensuring long-term sustainability for developers and contributors, Nadh said
Why the new fund?
According to Nadh, this fund seeks to address the growing concerns over the financial viability of FOSS projects and reinforce the spirit of reciprocity that has been central to the FOSS movement.
"The open-source community has been grappling with sustainability issues, especially with cloud companies profiting from repackaging FOSS," Nadh said.
Zerodha's new FOSS fund aims to address the challenges faced by FOSS projects, particularly around funding and commercialization.
While Zerodha has previously contributed to FOSS projects, this fund is designed to be more systematic, with a formal process for applications and selection, he said. The company hopes to source applicants globally and involve the FOSS community in the decision-making process over time.
"For us, FLOSS/fund is about hacker goodwill, reciprocity, and common sense business strategy...We spent several months speaking to various banks, payment processors, and lawyers to finally arrive at a reasonably streamlined process," Nadh wrote.
He also said a small, dedicated team will operate the fund properly in a non ad hoc manner, functioning like an OSPO (Open Source Program Office) but focused on funding projects, an OSFO.
Zerodha chief technology officer Kailash Nadh on October 16 announced the launch of a dedicated $1-million annual fund aimed at supporting Free/Libre and Open Source Software (FOSS/FLOSS) projects globally.
Nadh emphasised the importance of FOSS in Zerodha's success, acknowledging that the company has been built on open-source tools and technologies — from programming languages to databases.
"A significant portion of our success and growth is owed to FOSS, encompassing everything from programming languages to operating systems, to databases, web servers, frontend frameworks, productivity tools, code editors, and absolutely everything. It goes without saying that this holds true for nearly every technology company founded in the last decade, whether it is publicly acknowledged or not," Nadh wrote in a blogpost.
The company plans to allocate between $10,000 and $100,000 per recipient, managed by a small team that will operate like an open source funding office (OSFO).
What is FOSS/FLOSS?
Free/Libre and Open Source Software (FOSS/FLOSS) refers to software that anyone can use, modify and share for free. The source code is open to everyone, allowing developers to see how the software works, adapt it for their needs and contribute improvements back to the community.
Well-known FOSS examples include Linux and Firefox.
The new fund represents a structured effort to provide financial support to FOSS projects, ensuring long-term sustainability for developers and contributors, Nadh said
Why the new fund?
According to Nadh, this fund seeks to address the growing concerns over the financial viability of FOSS projects and reinforce the spirit of reciprocity that has been central to the FOSS movement.
"The open-source community has been grappling with sustainability issues, especially with cloud companies profiting from repackaging FOSS," Nadh said.
Zerodha's new FOSS fund aims to address the challenges faced by FOSS projects, particularly around funding and commercialization.
While Zerodha has previously contributed to FOSS projects, this fund is designed to be more systematic, with a formal process for applications and selection, he said. The company hopes to source applicants globally and involve the FOSS community in the decision-making process over time.
"For us, FLOSS/fund is about hacker goodwill, reciprocity, and common sense business strategy...We spent several months speaking to various banks, payment processors, and lawyers to finally arrive at a reasonably streamlined process," Nadh wrote.
He also said a small, dedicated team will operate the fund properly in a non ad hoc manner, functioning like an OSPO (Open Source Program Office) but focused on funding projects, an OSFO.
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