Presented by

  • Sriram Ramkrishna

    Sriram Ramkrishna
    @sramkrishna
    https://linkedin.com/in/sriram-ramkrishna

    Sri is a Free and Open Source advocate for over 25 years. Sri started working on open source software when he was 25 contributing to the GNOME project in 1997. 15 years later, he was given the opportunity to work on open source professionally at Intel Corporation in 2012. While his career has gone through many iterations his contributions to the GNOME project has been consistent - building community around projects and engaging with community. His passion today is to help build the Linux Application Ecosystem through initiatives like the Linux App Summit. Professionally, Sri is the senior community manager for oneAPI and the lead coordinator of Intel's Software Innovator Program.

Abstract

Free and Open Source Software ecosystems evolve in curious ways. In the beginning, when we thought about open source software, we limited ourselves to applying it to the desktop and the web. Kernel, user-space, and application frameworks worked together closely to recreate the user experience that we, as nerds, grew up on. Over time as the utility of open source software became a part of enterprise and business, we moved away from the desktop into the data center. Then, came the myriad of technologies... from databases to containers....we are all familiar with today. The Linux-based desktop was relegated to the tinkerer, the curious, and the nostalgic. Developers moved to MacOS as the serious developer tool of choice. As investment moved away from the desktop and application ecosystem, it seemed that the bright light of this ecosystem had been diminished. Away from center stage, amazing things are happening in the app ecosystem. A greater sense of collaboration prevails, and this not quite hidden from view ecosystem is flourishing. The Flathub App store has 2600 apps and is adding 40 new apps a month. By the end of 2024, it’s projected that Flathub will have over 3000 apps ranging from developer oriented apps to apps on the go. Let's look at how this ecosystem is thriving and ushering in a renaissance. Expect to hear a short history lesson on the app ecosystem's influence on the Linux platform before focusing on the apps and where we are today.