The Open Source Development Labs, a Beaverton industry consortium that promotes the Linux operating system, laid off a third of its staff Monday and announced its chief executive will step down.

OSDL described the restructuring as a "shift in its resources" to focus on key goals and said the organization remains healthy.

But the cuts are sure to reduce Oregon's profile in the global open source community, where the state had taken a leading role in the past few years.

Chief Executive Officer Stuart Cohen, formerly a vice president with RadiSys Corp. in Hillsboro, is leaving to work with OVP Venture Partners in Portland on a new business opportunity.

Cohen, who chairs the state-sponsored Oregon Innovation Council with OVP partner David Chen, plans to start a company to encourage open source collaboration among corporations.

Mike Temple, OSDL's chief financial officer, will become the organization's chief operating officer and run it for the "foreseeable future." OSDL is not appointing a new CEO and would not say why.

Linux creator Linus Torvalds, who moved to Oregon in 2004 and lives near Lake Oswego, remains with OSDL and will continue to work with the group, according to the organization.

Of the nine people laid off Monday, eight worked at the organization's Beaverton offices. After the layoffs, OSDL employs 19 people worldwide.

Open source software is open to modification by anyone and is often free. It's become an increasingly popular alternative to proprietary software from companies such as Microsoft that tightly control how their computer programs are used.

Although open source developers are dispersed around the world, Oregon has become a center for activity. Both IBM and Intel base their Linux development work in Oregon, and the presence of OSDL and Torvalds has attracted additional attention. A major industry conference, the O'Reilly Open Source Convention, is held annually in Portland.

Following Monday's cuts, OSDL said the organization will focus on four areas: supporting key developers, including Torvalds; increasing legal support for Linux and other open source projects; sponsoring regional activities; and fostering collaboration among developers.