Swimming with the Poets
Interview – Meet Jim Zemlin

Jim Zemlin has directed the Linux Foundation since 2007, when the foundation began with the merger of the Open Source Development Labs (OSDL) and the Free Standards Group (FSG). Today the Linux Foundation has gone beyond Linux and become a huge umbrella that houses many open source projects that are critical to our economy and society.
Jim Zemlin has directed the Linux Foundation since 2007, when the foundation began with the merger of the Open Source Development Labs (OSDL) and the Free Standards Group (FSG). Today the Linux Foundation has gone beyond Linux and become a huge umbrella that houses many open source projects that are critical to our economy and society.
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Linux, I sat down with Zemlin for a 40 minute interview. He is very humble and doesn't like to talk much about himself. However, since we have known each other for such a long time, he opened up a bit. Here is the edited version of that exclusive interview with Jim Zemlin.
Linux Magazine: Can you tell us a bit about your childhood and your exposure to computers? What kind of technical background do you have?
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
Cairo Dock 3.6 Now Available for More Compositors
If you're a fan of third-party desktop docks, then the latest release of Cairo Dock with Wayland support is for you.
-
System76 Unleashes Pop!_OS 24.04 Beta
System76's first beta of Pop!_OS 24.04 is an impressive feat.
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 is Available
Linus Torvalds has announced that the latest kernel has been released with plenty of core improvements and even more hardware support.
-
Kali Linux 2025.3 Released with New Hacking Tools
If you're a Kali Linux fan, you'll be glad to know that the third release of this famous pen-testing distribution is now available with updates for key components.
-
Zorin OS 18 Beta Available for Testing
The latest release from the team behind Zorin OS is ready for public testing, and it includes plenty of improvements to make it more powerful, user-friendly, and productive.
-
Fedora Linux 43 Beta Now Available for Testing
Fedora Linux 43 Beta ships with Gnome 49 and KDE Plasma 6.4 (and other goodies).
-
USB4 Maintainer Leaves Intel
Michael Jamet, one of the primary maintainers of USB4 and Thunderbolt drivers, has left Intel, leaving a gaping hole for the Linux community to deal with.
-
Budgie 10.9.3 Now Available
The latest version of this elegant and configurable Linux desktop aligns with changes in Gnome 49.
-
KDE Linux Alpha Available for Daring Users
It's official, KDE Linux has arrived, but it's not quite ready for prime time.
-
AMD Initiates Graphics Driver Updates for Linux Kernel 6.18
This new AMD update focuses on power management, display handling, and hardware support for Radeon GPUs.