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January 25, 2005
The future of Linux?
The Linux development process begins and ends with the programmers. While there are still some individual volunteers and government agencies that chip in, more than 90% of the patches now come from employees at tech companies. Many of those workers are formerly independent aces who have been scooped up over the past few years. Some of these people simply submit code, and others, called maintainers, are in charge of improving specific functions.
From there on, it's a continuous cycle. Individuals submit patches; maintainers improve them. Then they're passed off to Torvalds and Morton, who review the patches, ask for improvements, and update the kernel. Every four to six weeks, Torvalds releases a new test version so that thousands of people around the world can probe it for flaws. He puts out a major upgrade every three years or so. Unlike at traditional software companies, there are no deadlines. The Linux kernel is done when Torvalds decides it's ready.
This link should even work!
Posted by Andrew at January 25, 2005 08:49 PM
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