Will Profits Taint Mozilla?

In a word, no. The proposed purpose of the for-profit arm of Mozilla is to engage in various kinds of business partnerships and revenue opportunities that might prove tricky for a 501(c)3 group to navigate without falling afoul of the convolutions of nonprofit law. Google, among others, could be one of those partners.

So don't worry, open-source fans. Unless the Mozilla Foundation goes back on its word to eschew IPOs and the like, this looks like a smart move, and a beneficial one for its supporters. Corporation can be a good word, even in the open-source world. And if the corporation ever turns into an evil empire, the open-source rebellion will still be free to take the code and run with it.