GNOME Foundation

The GNOME Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Orinda, California, United States, which works to coordinate the efforts in the GNOME project. The GNOME Foundation works to further the goal of the GNOME project: to create a computing platform for use by the general public that is composed entirely of free software. While the GNOME Project was founded in 1997, the GNOME Foundation was officially founded on 5 March 2001 by CollabNet, Compaq, Debian, Eazel, Free Software Foundation, Gnumatic, Henzai, Inc. , Helix Code, IBM, Red Hat, Sun Microsystems, and VA Linux Systems. Although a news report from the BBC news showed a different membership status on 16 August 2000, it listed companies and organizations such as Sun Microsystems, IBM, Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, Red Hat, Eazel, Free Software Foundation, Gnumatic, Helix Code, Henzai, Object Management Group, TurboLinux, and VA Linux. The GNOME Foundation's main goal is to create a free, personal, software-based computing ecosystem for the world. To achieve this goal, the foundation coordinates releases of GNOME and determines which projects are a part of GNOME. The foundation acts as an official voice for the GNOME project, providing a means of communication with the press and with commercial and noncommercial organizations interested in GNOME software. The foundation produces educational materials and documentation to help the public learn about GNOME software. In addition, it sponsors GNOME-related technical conferences, such as GUADEC, GNOME. Asia, and the Boston Summit, represents GNOME at relevant conferences sponsored by others, helps create technical standards for the project, and promotes the use and development of GNOME software.