It's Gonna Be OK
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I've written a lot of these columns through the years (169, actually – one for every month since August 2004), and in all that time, I don't think I've ever written on the same topic twice in a row. But now I can feel some unfinished business. Last month I discussed the new Linux kernel Code of Conduct, venturing to suggest that it was perhaps overdue and indeed a welcome thing.
Dear Reader,
I've written a lot of these columns through the years (169, actually – one for every month since August 2004), and in all that time, I don't think I've ever written on the same topic twice in a row. But now I can feel some unfinished business. Last month I discussed the new Linux kernel Code of Conduct, venturing to suggest that it was perhaps overdue and indeed a welcome thing.
Since then, I've been a little amazed at the negative reaction the Code of Conduct has received. (See the Kernel News on Page 11 for more on recent discussions surrounding the Code of Conduct.) I can understand that any big change is cause for caution, but this change seems to have caused some genuine trepidation about abandoning the harsh and highly personal tone that passes among kernel maintainers and developers. Many of these commentaries are written in a way that appears to be coming to the defense of Linus, who is often associated with this kind of harsh talk, but in fact, Linus approved the Code of Conduct and appears to support the need for the change.
[...]
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