The main hub of Linux, Linus TorvaldsHe says that despite long-standing reports of Burnout in Open Source Software DevelopmentLinux is still as strong as ever — though he admits his project may be something of an anomaly because of its size and scope.
Speaking with Verizon’s head of open source, Dirk Hohendel, at the Linux Foundation Open Source Summit Europe In Vienna on Monday, Torvalds addressed a topic that has been frequently raised in Linux World and behind:A Senior Developer Community susceptible to combustion.
“It’s absolutely certain that the[Linux]kernel maintainers are getting older, but there’s a positive side to that,” Torvalds said. “How many[open source]projects have maintainers that have been around for literally three decades? That’s very unusual. So when people say, ‘developers burn out and leave,’ — yes, that’s true, but it’s kind of normal. What’s not normal is that people actually stick around for decades, which is unusual, and I think that’s kind of a good sign.”
Historically, Linux has been a C-centric kernel, but in 2022, the project will start Official support for Rust has been introduced.an open source general-purpose programming language. Backed by many big name tech companiesJust a few weeks ago, Wedson Almeida Filho, the lead of the Rust for Linux project, announced, It was announced They stepped down after nearly four years, finding themselves “lacking the energy and enthusiasm” to deal with some of the “non-technical nonsense” surrounding the project.
and Back in JanuarySenior Engineer at Rust Jane Nelson Nelson also noted that the burnout problem is very real. “The number of people who have left the Rust project due to burnout is shockingly high,” he wrote. “And the number of people on the project who are approaching burnout is shockingly high, too.”
Trust factor
Linux is perhaps the most successful open source project of all time, intersecting with everything from web servers and ATMs, to desktop and mobile operating systems. During these years of growth, Torvalds expanded and The ubiquitous version control system has been created. Known as Git. But after 33 years From LinuxSince the beginning of ‘s creation, Torvalds has been the central maintainer of the kernel, with support from Tens of thousands of contributors Coming from companies that rely on Linux, as well as sources closer to home like Linux Foundation Fellows. Greg Crowe-Cartmanwhich leads the stable release of the Linux kernel.
“I think part of the problem we have with having a large number of developers is that we’ve always had a lot of high-quality people who can live up to expectations,” Torvalds said. “Greg hasn’t always been Greg — before Greg, there was Andrews and Allens, and after Greg, there will be Shannon and Steves. There are people who have been around for decades, and the real problem is that you have to have someone — or a group — that people in the development community can trust. And part of trust is basically being around long enough that people know how you work.”
However, Torvalds acknowledged that such an ecosystem can be difficult and intimidating for younger or less experienced developers, especially when they see established developers who have been around for a long time. But despite this, there are newcomers who have managed to make their way into the heart of the Linux project.
“We have core developers who are high-level maintainers of key subsystems, and they’ve emerged in just a few years,” Torvalds said. “It doesn’t happen right away, but new people come in, and after three years they become core developers. It’s not impossible at all. I think we have a pretty healthy developer subsystem, but it’s all about developers, developers, developers… We have these developers. And the fact that we also have these old, gray-haired people — I don’t see that as a big problem.”