Some thoughts on the topic:
A foundation does not have to be useful for everyone. If
it's useful for someone, then it is already useful. And just
because Lua has being doing fine without a foundation, it
also doesn't mean a foundation isn't useful or needed. A
foundation can still add value. Good things can improve. And
there are many needed things that are out of the scope of
LabLua.
Below are just some of the things where I can see a
foundation being very useful:
* Serve as a slot and point of contact for companies who
wish to sponsor and support Lua related projects that are not
necessarily Lua itself
* Develop things that are outside of LabLua's scope of
implementation of the language, such as improving the
ecosystem and developer experience. This could include things
like maintaining critical modules, creating plugins for common
text editors...
* Work with community leaders and maintainers of critical
tools. E.g. See if the LuaRocks folks need help with anything.
* Advocate and sprinkle more Lua around the world with
things like coordinating events, managing social media,
writing blog posts, tutorials or other online resources...
This is not the first time a discussion around the possibility
of a Lua Foundation came up. That I saw, there were
discussions on this topic at least during the past two
editions of the Lua dev room at FOSDEM. I've even brought this
subject up with Roberto in the past, and others have done the
same. Some folks are really keen on seeing something like this
happen. I'd be one of them :)
Cheers,
Etiene
