The Linux Foundation is dedicated to promoting the use of the Linux computer operating system in academia, the corporate world, and government. The company was formed in 2007 by the merger of Open Source Development Labs with the Free Standards Group. The Linux Foundation promotes and standardizes the Linux operating system by providing resources and services needed for open source development, including offering intellectual property protection for developers. The foundation operates the Linux.com Web site to provide information on Linux. Linux serves as an alternative to Microsoft's Windows operating system, on which most of the PCs in the world are based, and is derived from the UNIX operating system.