Charting expletives from the Linux Kernel Mailing List
Climate Study
© Lead Image © Cornelius, Fotolia.com
Kernel amateurs are best advised to read summaries of the heated discussions on the Linux Kernel Mailing List (LKML) before they delve in. We analyze 2.5 million postings to study the density of cursing.
Every now and then, a message reaches social media that Linux boss Linus Torvalds has flipped out once again and dressed down kernel colleagues with rude words. Some Linux enthusiasts look on this with amusement, enjoying the tirades of the great dictator over a cool drink after work; others see the harsh nature of the language as representing an intimidating boy's club culture that privileges insiders.
The issue of language on the kernel list has been in the foreground for the last few years. In 2013, Intel developer Sarah Sharp led an effort to improve civility among kernel developers [1], and Red Hat's Lennart Poettering has also spoken up for more politeness and less abusive language [2].
In 2015, Linus responded to criticism by posting a Code of Conflict [3] that affirms the need for civility in the code review process, instructing developers to contact the Linux Foundation's Technical Advisory Board if they feel the process is threatening or abusive, and ending with a directive to not let things get personal:
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Linux Mint 22.2 Beta Available for Testing
Some interesting new additions and improvements are coming to Linux Mint. Check out the Linux Mint 22.2 Beta to give it a test run.
-
Debian 13.0 Officially Released
After two years of development, the latest iteration of Debian is now available with plenty of under-the-hood improvements.
-
Upcoming Changes for MXLinux
MXLinux 25 has plenty in store to please all types of users.
-
A New Linux AI Assistant in Town
Newelle, a Linux AI assistant, works with different LLMs and includes document parsing and profiles.
-
Linux Kernel 6.16 Released with Minor Fixes
The latest Linux kernel doesn't really include any big-ticket features, just a lot of lines of code.
-
EU Sovereign Tech Fund Gains Traction
OpenForum Europe recently released a report regarding a sovereign tech fund with backing from several significant entities.
-
FreeBSD Promises a Full Desktop Installer
FreeBSD has lacked an option to include a full desktop environment during installation.
-
Linux Hits an Important Milestone
If you pay attention to the news in the Linux-sphere, you've probably heard that the open source operating system recently crashed through a ceiling no one thought possible.
-
Plasma Bigscreen Returns
A developer discovered that the Plasma Bigscreen feature had been sitting untouched, so he decided to do something about it.
-
CachyOS Now Lets Users Choose Their Shell
Imagine getting the opportunity to select which shell you want during the installation of your favorite Linux distribution. That's now a thing.