The Linux Foundation: Open Mainframe Project: 11 Years of Open Source on z/OS | John Mertic, Linux Foundation

John Mertic of the Linux Foundation explains what the Open Mainframe Project is, why it exists, and how 11 years of open source collaboration is keeping mainframe central to enterprise computing. Full article and transcript: https://tfir.io/open-source-mainframe-what-omp-does-linux-foundation/



Mainframe still runs the backbone of global enterprise infrastructure, yet it has long operated as a silo cut off from modern open source toolchains. Without a neutral collaboration space, mainframe-specific innovation risks stalling while the rest of enterprise tech accelerates.



In this exclusive interview with Swapnil Bhartiya, John Mertic, Director of Program Management at the Linux Foundation, walks through the Open Mainframe Project: its origins in 2015 around Linux on mainframe, its expansion into z/OS and COBOL, and the tools and projects helping mainframe integrate with the broader enterprise computing ecosystem.



Key Topics Covered:

- How the Open Mainframe Project started with Linux on mainframe and IBM's 2015 announcements

- Why open source on mainframe predates the term itself, tracing back to SHARE in the 1950s

- How projects like Zowe and Galasa bridge mainframe and cloud native tooling

- The role of Open Mainframe Project as a directed fund within the Linux Foundation

- How mainframe intersects with horizontal projects like OpenTelemetry



#OpenMainframe #LinuxFoundation #Mainframe #zOS #OpenSource