DEVOPSdigest

The Node.js Foundation and JS Foundation announced an intent to merge.

Joining forces will not change the technical independence or autonomy for Node.js or any of the 28 JS Foundation projects such as Appium, ESLint, or jQuery.

JavaScript is a versatile programming language that has expanded far beyond its role as a backbone of the web, entering new environments such as IoT, native apps, DevOps, and protocols. As the ecosystem continues to evolve — moving from browsers to servers, desktop applications to embedded devices — increased collaboration in the JavaScript ecosystem is more important than ever to sustain continued and healthy growth.

"The Node.js Foundation and JS Foundation boards have met several times already to discuss a potential alignment of the communities. The Foundation leaders and key technical stakeholders believe that a tighter alignment of communities will expand the scope of the current Foundations and enable greater support for Node.js and a broader range of JavaScript projects," said Mike Dolan, Vice President of Strategic Programs, the Linux Foundation. "We are very interested in hearing directly from the community and welcome all questions, ideas and opinions so that the structure aligns with the expectations of the community. For this reason, no formal decisions regarding a merged Foundation and its potential organizational structure, governance policies, technical framework or leadership have been made at this point and will be formalized based on feedback from the community."

Additional goals for a merger include:

- Enhanced operational excellence;

- Streamlined member engagement;

- Increased collaboration across the JavaScript ecosystem and affiliated standards bodies;

- An "umbrella" project structure that brings stronger collaboration across all JavaScript projects; and

- A single, clear home available for any project in the JavaScript ecosystem.

Today, JavaScript is nearly ubiquitous. Enterprises have been able to greatly reduce training costs and increase developer productivity because frontend JS developers can work on the server side, and vice-versa, eliminating the context switches and enabling all developers to pull from the same knowledge base and vast module ecosystem. Node.js is a major catalyst for this growth. It has become an important part of the modern web development stack and is often the assumed default when working with JavaScript. Merging the Foundations will bring the governance of these technologies in line with its real-world use.

"JavaScript is at the core of an ecosystem of technologies that form the backbone of the web and play an increasingly vital role across industry and society," said Dan Appelquist, Director of Web Advocacy & Open Source at Samsung Research UK and JSF Board Member. "Strong governance, encouraging inclusive contributor communities and engagement in the ongoing standards development are all important factors in ensuring this ecosystem continues healthy development. A merged foundation is well positioned to deliver on these goals."

"The possibility of a combined Foundation and the synergistic enhancements this can bring to end users is exciting," said Todd Moore, Node.js Board Chairperson and IBM VP Opentech. "Our ecosystem can only grow stronger and the Foundations ability to support the contributors to the many great projects involved improve as a result."