The GNOME Foundation, a linchpin in the open-source and Linux desktop ecosystem for over a quarter-century, has just announced a momentous €1M work commission from the Sovereign Tech Fund – a funding pot supported financially by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
The milestones in this service contract are developed together between Sovereign Tech Fund, GNOME’s maintainers, and the GNOME Foundation.
This substantial investment is set to catalyze the modernization of the GNOME platform, advancing tooling, accessibility, and public interest features.
In addition, it aims to reinforce the open-source ecosystem’s security, resilience, and technological diversity while also honoring the human element – those who write the code.
In light of these events, the GNOME Foundation expresses deep gratitude to the Sovereign Tech Fund for recognizing the project’s pivotal role in the tech community and for the support that will propel ambitious initiatives through the end of 2024. Key projects slated for development include:
- Improve the current state of accessibility
- Design and prototype a new accessibility stack
- Encrypt user home directories individually
- Modernize secrets storage
- Increase the range and quality of hardware support
- Invest in Quality Assurance and Developer Experience
- Expand and broaden freedesktop APIs
- Consolidate and improve platform components
One thing is sure – this funding heralds a new era for the desktop environment, promising accelerated development and innovation. Special recognition is given to Tobias Bernard and Sonny Piers from the GNOME Project for their pivotal roles in steering this initiative to fruition.
In conclusion, it’s crucial to clear up a significant point. Holly Million took over as CEO of the GNOME Project just a month ago, but this investment was approved before she took charge. So, we are yet to see the outcomes of her initial actions as the project leader.
In any case, this generous work commission signifies a leap forward, not just for the project itself but for the Linux desktop community as a whole. So, well done, GNOME! Congratulations!
I am not sure why some of those things are expected directly from Gnome (like encrypted user home, or secrets storage), when they should be shared between other desktops and even terminal as well.