ownCloud Forked
Founder of ownCloud launches the Nextcloud project.
Frank Karlitschek, the founder of ownCloud, has forked the project and created a new open source project called Nextcloud. Karlitschek joined with Niels Mache, CEO of struktur AG/Spreed, to form a new company with the same name. Mache is making a seven-digit investment in the new company. Both Mache and Karlitschek will serve as the managing directors. Nextcloud is setting up a foundation to manage the project and trademark.
Within 12 hours of the Nextcloud announcement, ownCloud Inc, closed their US offices. ownCloud said in a blog post that the main lenders in the US cancelled their credit, which forced them to close the US office and terminate the contracts of eight employees.
A majority of former ownCloud employees, who quit the company after Karlitschek’s departure, have already joined Nextcloud. Karlitschek said Nextcloud welcomes all ex-employees of ownCloud Inc.
Nextcloud said it will honor the existing contracts of those ownCloud customers who want to switch to Nextcloud. Nextcloud will be available in two versions: enterprise and community. The first release of Nextcloud is expected in July. Contributors won’t be required to sign a contributor license agreement to contribute to Nextcloud.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
LibreOffice 25.2 Has Arrived
If you've been hoping for a release that offers more UI customizations, you're in for a treat.
-
TuxCare Has a Big AlmaLinux 9 Announcement in Store
TuxCare announced it has successfully completed a Security Technical Implementation Guide for AlmaLinux OS 9.
-
First Release Candidate for Linux Kernel 6.14 Now Available
Linus Torvalds has officially released the first release candidate for kernel 6.14 and it includes over 500,000 lines of modified code, making for a small release.
-
System76 Refreshes Meerkat Mini PC
If you're looking for a small form factor PC powered by Linux, System76 has exactly what you need in the Meerkat mini PC.
-
Gnome 48 Alpha Ready for Testing
The latest Gnome desktop alpha is now available with plenty of new features and improvements.
-
Wine 10 Includes Plenty to Excite Users
With its latest release, Wine has the usual crop of bug fixes and improvements, along with some exciting new features.
-
Linux Kernel 6.13 Offers Improvements for AMD/Apple Users
The latest Linux kernel is now available, and it includes plenty of improvements, especially for those who use AMD or Apple-based systems.
-
Gnome 48 Debuts New Audio Player
To date, the audio player found within the Gnome desktop has been meh at best, but with the upcoming release that all changes.
-
Plasma 6.3 Ready for Public Beta Testing
Plasma 6.3 will ship with KDE Gear 24.12.1 and KDE Frameworks 6.10, along with some new and exciting features.
-
Budgie 10.10 Scheduled for Q1 2025 with a Surprising Desktop Update
If Budgie is your desktop environment of choice, 2025 is going to be a great year for you.