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Linux 4.19-rc4 Released As Linus Temporarily Steps Away From Kernel Maintainership
Linux 4.19-rc4 is out today as the very latest weekly development test kernel for Linux 4.19. It's another fairly routine kernel update at this stage, but more shocking is that Linus Torvalds will be taking a temporary leave from kernel maintainership and Greg Kroah-Hartman will take over the rest of the Linux 4.19 cycle.
Following the recent decision to change the location of the Linux Kernel Summit after Torvalds accidentally booked his flights to the wrong dates/location, plus other discussions happening recently, Linus Torvalds is taking a temporary leave. "I am going to take time off and get some assistance on how to understand people's emotions and respond appropriately," he wrote as part of today's 4.19-rc4 announcement.
So it begins.
Also at ZDNet.
The Linux kernel has adopted a new code of conduct. The link to the code of conduct is here.
It seems Linus Torvalds is also taking a break from being the top kernel maintainer.
The short story is Linus screwing up his scheduling to the Linux maintainers conference which was entirely rescheduled around his mistake. Then he was approached by people who are concerned about his blunt (or some consider rude) comments on the kernel dev mailing list.
I, personally, will miss Linus and I hope he gets things figured out.
Linux kernel firebrand Linus Torvalds has apologized for his explosive rants, and vowed to take a break from the open-source project and seek help.
In a mailing list message on Sunday, Torvalds admitted his "flippant attacks in emails" to fellow Linux programmers and project contributors "have been both unprofessional and uncalled for. Especially at times when I made it personal ... I know now this was not OK and I am truly sorry."
"I need to change some of my behavior," he added, "and I want to apologize to the people that my personal behavior hurt and possibly drove away from kernel development entirely."
Torvalds, who created the Linux operating system kernel in 1991 and has overseen its development ever since, also promised to take a breather from the project – like the sabbatical he took to create Git – and do some self-reflection to, well, be nicer to everyone.
Elon Musk was in the news recently for blowups, as well. Should technology professionals make stress management and interpersonal skills part of their professional regimen, for their own long-term personal and professional health?
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(Score: 5, Interesting) by choose another one on Monday September 17 2018, @06:40PM (4 children)
Well, historically it hasn't been "good developers" who have got the hassle from Linus, it's been the lousy ones.
Has there ever been a time when Linus chewed someone out and he was actually in the wrong (from a technical point of view) - I am not absolutely 100% sure, but was there a time when Linus was wrong and failed to apologise afterwards? I really really really doubt that, and I don't know the guy other than through reading a little of what he has written since 1991.
Linus is clearly a technical perfectionist superstar developer, and that is about it. Really good developers will prefer working under a technical perfectionist because they want to create something decent and they will put up with a lot of personal interaction skills deficit for that. The "churn it out and fuck off early"s will not like it, too bad, the technical perfectionist won't like them either - so whose fault is it (I know who I'd say)?
There is a reason why almost every technical corporate management structure has a line-management reporting line separate from technical - it's for managing all the non-technical s**t. Technical people are rarely any good at this and frankly as a corporate you don't want them doing it because it pisses them off and wastes time and therefore money that could have been better spent on technical stuff that you employed them for. I've met/worked-with/hired/managed local superstar developers - people who produce code at least an order of magnitude faster than "normal" while also producing cleaner more legible code with way lower bug count than normal. I've _never_ met one who was also a good people person, and I reckon Linus is at least an order of magnitude better again than those local superstars. Linuses are really really rare, but if you want a Linus who is also a good people person you can forget it - you'd be better off looking for rocking horse sh*t.
Thing about volunteer open source development is that there isn't a non-technical management reporting line, at all, there is no HR dept., there is no one to whinge to if some of your colleagues are being "unprofessional" to each other (because they are lacking personal interaction skills or are weird in some way, like, well, just about every developer I've met, me included). There is only Linus, and he _doesn't_ _care_ - because it is irrelevant to the technical perfection that is his goal, and he _shouldn't_ care because it distracts him from the technical perfection that we want him to create.
This isn't anything new - just found an article from 2015 that basically says exactly what I am trying to say: https://www.computerworld.com/article/3004387/it-management/how-bad-a-boss-is-linus-torvalds.html [computerworld.com]
(Score: 3, Informative) by takyon on Monday September 17 2018, @07:23PM (2 children)
After looking around at various complaints on HN [ycombinator.com], the argument seems to be that the other maintainers lower on the totem pole are hostile, and that Linus's attitude has created the hostile environment. i.e. it doesn't matter if Linus is a saint chewing out people who deserve it.
Though if you go [twitter.com] a little [twitter.com] further [twitter.com], you would think that Linus is the Great Satan or the Toxic Avenger.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 18 2018, @05:15AM
Christ, save us from those people!
(Score: 2) by exaeta on Wednesday September 26 2018, @04:39PM
I would challenge prohibitions on 'hostile work environments' under the First Amendment.
I imagine these regulations will burn to the ground.
The Government is a Bird
(Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Thursday September 20 2018, @08:26AM
> Well, historically it hasn't been "good developers" who have got the hassle from Linus, it's been the lousy ones.
Not quite - good developers screw up too. I know some people who would take it personally and walk away.