Keeping open source open
Doghouse – Kernel Maintainers
People contribute to the Linux kernel from around the world and a great range of circumstances – even during war, which raises questions about how to remain open and consider security.
Recently there was an issue where several Russians were listed as maintainers of the Linux kernel whose email addresses contained the ending .ru. These maintainers were removed from the list of maintainers and were told that they might be added back if certain documentation steps were taken.
This action seemed sudden and many people objected to the action because it seemed to go against the philosophy of open source. There were a lot of people who decried this, and some talked about "forking the kernel" and forming a project that would not "discriminate" against Russian people.
First of all, there has been no action that I know of that keeps Russians from using the free software of the Linux kernel. They may pull down the kernel code and use it for whatever they desire. This fits in well with the "zero law" of the GPL, which states that you should be able to use the code for any reason. There is nothing in the license of free software or even open source that guarantees you can work on the project or submit code to it. Allowing that would be chaos.
[...]
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
-
KDE Unleashes Plasma 6.5
The Plasma 6.5 desktop environment is now available with new features, improvements, and the usual bug fixes.
-
Xubuntu Site Possibly Hacked
It appears that the Xubuntu site was hacked and briefly served up a malicious ZIP file from its download page.
-
LMDE 7 Now Available
Linux Mint Debian Edition, version 7, has been officially released and is based on upstream Debian.
-
Linux Kernel 6.16 Reaches EOL
Linux kernel 6.16 has reached its end of life, which means you'll need to upgrade to the next stable release, Linux kernel 6.17.
-
Amazon Ditches Android for a Linux-Based OS
Amazon has migrated from Android to the Linux-based Vega OS for its Fire TV.
-
Cairo Dock 3.6 Now Available for More Compositors
If you're a fan of third-party desktop docks, then the latest release of Cairo Dock with Wayland support is for you.
-
System76 Unleashes Pop!_OS 24.04 Beta
System76's first beta of Pop!_OS 24.04 is an impressive feat.
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 is Available
Linus Torvalds has announced that the latest kernel has been released with plenty of core improvements and even more hardware support.
-
Kali Linux 2025.3 Released with New Hacking Tools
If you're a Kali Linux fan, you'll be glad to know that the third release of this famous pen-testing distribution is now available with updates for key components.
-
Zorin OS 18 Beta Available for Testing
The latest release from the team behind Zorin OS is ready for public testing, and it includes plenty of improvements to make it more powerful, user-friendly, and productive.