The Southern California Linux Expo (SCaLE 23x) recently concluded in Pasadena, leaving the open-source community energized and focused
on the future of independent, community-driven infrastructure and collaborative innovation. For Network Time Foundation, SCaLE is more
than just a conference; it is a vital venue for connecting with the contributors and foundations that keep the internet’s core
infrastructure running.
Why SCaLE Matters for Open Source Foundations
As North America’s largest community-run open-source conference, SCaLE 23x continues to
prove that the most impactful technical conversations happen when the community, rather than corporate marketing, takes the lead.
Reflecting on the event, several attendees highlighted themes that resonate deeply with NTF’s mission:
- Sustainability and Sovereignty: A major takeaway from this year was the concept of being “Owners, Not Renters”, a phrase
popularized during the event by Mozilla CTO Raffi Krikorian. This shift toward self-hosted AI and truly open infrastructure mirrors
NTF’s goal of providing robust, independent time synchronization tools.
- Foundation-Led Governance: Sessions like “Companies vs. Foundations” explored how foundation-backed projects offer more stable
long-term roadmaps compared to company-backed ones, which are often subject to “rug pulls” or licensing changes.
- Community Growth: For many open source projects, SCaLE serves as a primary pipeline for onboarding new contributors, emphasizing
that the health of an ecosystem depends on face-to-face mentorship and education.
Harlan Stenn’s Interview with the FreeBSD Foundation
A highlight for our team was seeing NTF President and Board Chair Harlan Stenn connect with the
FreeBSD Foundation. In a featured interview at the event, Harlan shared his decades-long
history with the FreeBSD operating system.
Summary of the Interview: Harlan recalled his early days of testing various systems to find a reliable environment for
network time development. He ultimately settled on FreeBSD because of its legendary stability—summarizing his experience with
the simple phrase, "It just ran." Today, Harlan runs FreeBSD on all his personal and development machines, citing its
consistency and performance as essential for managing the complex requirements of the Network Time Protocol (NTP) and other NTF
projects.
Looking Ahead
The discussions at SCaLE 23x—ranging from
corporate impacts on OSS sustainability
to the rise of community-driven forks reinforce the importance of the work we do at Network Time Foundation. We are committed
to ensuring that the protocols the world relies on remain open, stable, and community-owned.
Thank you to the SCaLE organizers and everyone who stopped by to discuss the future of network time!