Plan 9, the distributed operating system which originated at Bell Labs, has received a shot in the arm courtesy of the formation of the Plan 9 Foundation, founded with a view to coordinating development and promoting use of the platform.
“We are pleased to announce the creation of the Plan 9 Foundation,” Anthony Sorace announced in a message on behalf of the Foundation’s formative board published today. “The Foundation exists to promote and further the development of Plan 9 and related technologies for lightweight distributed systems.
“We want to make Plan 9 and all that surrounds it stronger, more accessible, and more useful for all. We know there’s plenty going on already and we want to be clear that we’re excited about that. We hope to add to that, provide some additional resources, and improve things for everyone using Plan 9 technology in their projects.”
The Foundation’s first activities, Sorace has confirmed, will include applying to Google’s Summer of Code programme, which partners mentors with students to work on improving open-source projects. Plans for an in-person International Workshop on Plan 9 have also been announced, though scheduling will depend heavily on the status of the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
More information on Plan 9 itself, a download link for the 9legacy fork of Plan 9 from Bell Labs, documentation, and details about the Plan 9 Foundation specifically can be found on the official website.
Gareth Halfacree is a technology journalist and technical author best known for his work on the Raspberry Pi User Guide and an upcoming book covering the BBC’s micro:bit project. A keen open source advocate and RISC-V fan, Gareth is responsible for curating our fortnightly community round-up posts.