The Linux Foundation announced today that Canonical had joined forces to accelerate the growth of Linux. The sponsor behind Ubuntu hopes to enhance Linux growth by supporting cross-industry collaboration and promotion.

One of the most popular Linux distributions, Ubuntu, has become a serious option for both server and desktop computers, as well as for the fast developing area of mobile Internet devices. The commercial sponsor of the Ubuntu OS is Canonical, which is also involved in other open source projects such as Bazaar, Storm and Upstart.

Matt Zimmerman, the CTO and program manager of the Ubuntu project in Canonical, said: "The Linux Foundation occupies a critical, non-commercial function in the use and popularization of Linux around the world. We've always seen the Linux Foundation's value and are pleased to now become an official member and support its activities. We look forward to working with them to continue the march of Linux in all areas of computing."

A variety of workgroups like Linux Standard Base, Desktop Architects or Driver Backporting have allowed Ubuntu community members active participation, but now, with Canonical's support, their interest in both commercial and community versions of Ubuntu will be represented.

Jim Zemlin, executive director of The Linux Foundation stated: "Canonical is an important new member for the Linux Foundation. Matt and his team have created an exciting distribution that has taken the world by storm. They have rallied the cause of cross-industry, cross-community collaboration for years. We are extremely pleased to work even more closely with Canonical as we push Linux to the next stage of growth."

About the Linux Foundation

Founded in 2007, The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit organization involved in sustaining the growth of Linux, and is supported by various companies around the world. The work of the Linux Foundation revolves around the promotion, protection and standardization of Linux by delivering unified resources and services required for the enhancement of open source software usage.