The Mozilla Foundation is a non-profit organization that exists to ensure the Internet remains a global public resource, open and accessible to all. Here are some key points about the foundation:
History
- Founded in 2003 by the members of the Mozilla Organization, which was initially formed by Netscape to coordinate the open-source development of the Mozilla Application Suite.
- The foundation was established with the mission to promote choice and innovation on the Internet by keeping it open and accessible.
- In 2005, the Mozilla Corporation was created as a taxable subsidiary of the foundation to handle the commercial activities related to the Firefox browser and other projects.
Objectives and Activities
- Open Internet: The foundation works to ensure that the Internet remains a global public resource, promoting openness, innovation, and opportunity.
- Software Development: It oversees the development of free and open-source software, including Firefox, Thunderbird, and other projects like Rust.
- Advocacy: The foundation engages in policy advocacy to protect the open web, user privacy, and security.
- Education: Through initiatives like Mozilla Web Literacy, it seeks to educate people about the web, digital literacy, and online safety.
- Community Support: Encourages community participation through various programs, events, and grants.
Notable Projects
- Firefox: An open-source web browser designed to offer users a fast, private, and secure browsing experience.
- Thunderbird: An email, news, and chat client that is freely available under the terms of the General Public License.
- Rust: A programming language aimed at providing safety, concurrency, and performance.
- Common Voice: A project to help teach machines how real people speak by creating an open-source dataset of voices.
Leadership
- The foundation is governed by a board of directors, which includes a mix of technologists, educators, and activists.
- Notable past and present board members include Mitchell Baker, who has served in various capacities including as the Chairperson of the Mozilla Foundation.
Financials
- The foundation's primary revenue sources include royalties from Google for making Google the default search engine in Firefox, and donations.
- It also receives income from endowments, investments, and other grants.
Sources
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