Linux Foundation has founded

The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux. Founded in 2007 by the merger of the Open Source Development Labs and the Free Standards Group, it sponsors the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and is supported by leading Linux and open source companies and developers from around the world. The Linux Foundation promotes, protects and standardizes Linux by providing unified resources and services needed for open source to successfully compete with closed platforms.

Since OSDL and the FSG were each formed more than six years ago, Linux has grown significantly in server, desktop, and embedded usage around the world. Moreover, the open source model has transformed development by providing faster demand-side learning, higher quality, better security, shorter development cycles, and lower prices than closed platform development models. OSDL and the FSG were important forces behind open source adoption and played key roles in preventing fragmentation of the Linux market.

For Linux to remain open and attain the greatest ubiquity possible, important services must be provided, including legal protection, standardization, promotion and collaboration. Successful proprietary software companies, for instance, do several important things well: backwards compatibility, promotion, interoperability, developer support, and more. In the voluntary and distributed world of Linux development, the industry continues to successfully use the consortia model to rapidly improve these value attributes for Linux. The Linux Foundation has been founded to help close the gap between open source and proprietary platforms, while sustaining the openness, freedom of choice and technical superiority inherent in open source software.

Official site

Accessing Linux/freeBSD filesystem from windows

For some people who operates more than two operating system in one PC (like me) maybe lists of these tools would be useful. I use these tools if I'm on windows and need to access freeBSD (using UFS filesystem type) or Linux partition (using ext2/3 or Reiserfs filesystem type). Here are the lists:

for accessing Reiserfs filesystem type,
a. rfstool,
using command Line as default Interface
b. rfsgui,

a graphics front-end for rfstools and you don't need to download rfstools because it's already included in this package.

c. YaReG,
also a front-end for rfstool which developed with .NET platform. You need to install .NET framework from microsoft.
d. ReiserDriver,

is an Installable File System Driver (IFSD).No gui front-end, but your ReiserFS partitions will appear as additional disks in windows, allowing files from ReiserFS partitions to be transparently accessed from any windows application.

e. visualrfstool,
another front-end for rfstool developed using Delphi.

for accessing Ext2 or Ext3 filesystem you can use this tools,
a. ltools,

this tool not only support for Ext3 filesystem but also for Reiserfs (but i still have a problem when try to access reiserfs filesystem) beside that, this tools also using multiple platform as front-end ( .NET using C#, java, and web-based).

b. Explorer2FS,
support both of reiserfs and Ext2/Ext3 filesystem and also need package's dependencies.
c. Explorateur-Ext3FS,
I'm not yet try this tool, maybe you can give me your explanation for this tool.
d. Ext2IFS,

maybe this's the only one tool that come as a windows binary installer package. And the different between others that it doesn't come with gui front-end but you can view ext3/reiserfs partition directly from windows explorer because this tool directly integrated with windows explorer.

and if you need to access FreeBSD partition that use UFS filesystem type, these tools maybe helpful:
a. ufsexplorer,
licensed as shareware and come as a windows binary installer package.
b. ufs2tools,
using command prompt without gui front-end support.
c. ffsdrv,
this tool is used to read FFS file system type. using simple gui to mount freebsd partition and developed using visual C++

For documentation's support, you can access official site for each tools. If you have another tool that not listed here, please let me know.