Samsung joins Linux Foundation

Samsung last week said it was becoming a platinum member of the Linux Foundation, giving $500 000 to the non-profit in support of the Linux system and the open-source projects related to it, The New York Times reports.

The membership status gives Samsung a seat on the foundation's board, allowing it to have more of a say in how Linux is developed.

The effects of the investment are not immediately visible - it's more like a long-term commitment in which Samsung gives back to a community it takes from to make its own products. Many of Samsung's products, like its televisions, cameras and Android phones, use at least some Linux-based software. Samsung's contribution to the Linux Foundation helps safeguard the success of its products, said Jim Zemlin, an executive director of the Linux Foundation.

The Register reports that Samsung joins the Linux Foundation's six other corporate platinum members: NEC, IBM, Fujitsu, Intel, Qualcomm and Oracle.

Samsung's interest in operating systems is not a surprise. As the biggest mobile handset maker in the world, and manufacturer of many other devices, including tablets, TVs and white goods, the company has a vested interest in the software on its hardware. Samsung will likely be particularly interested in the new Linux for mobile operating system, Tizen, a potential rival to iOS and Android.