LinuxConf Europe: The Kernel King Cometh
Since the first day of LinuxConf Europe there has been much speculation amongst delegates as to whether or not Linus Torvalds would make an appearance. This had largely been driven by the conference programme where, for the “Advanced GIT BOF”, there was no name provided for the speaker. Come Tuesday morning and a select few delegates were claiming to have spotted to the kernel's founder. As afternoon coffee approached many had begun to wonder if Linus wasn't going to arrive until the start of the developer summit following the conference.
Linus arrived at LinuxConf Europe without fanfare or fuss and was only notable by having a slightly larger cluster of developers around him than Alan Cox did. Over a herbal tea and a few biscuits a fascinating series of discussions was to be found. Over the years Linus has become known for being outspoken on many issues: kernel architecture, version control or GPL3 to name a few. It was, therefore, a welcome sign to see the leader chatting with those around him on a wide variety of issues, most of which being non-kernel related. Many of those joining the chat were disappointed to hear that
Linus was not leading the GIT session; instead he was simply joining the discussion. Instead those present were treated to Linus' views on UK public transport, the Finnish language, Chicago airport... and the kernel and GIT.
LinuxConf Europe presented a great opportunity to meet the project leader. However, blink and you would have missed him because, despite his stature in the community, he his still “one of us” and still enjoys meeting new hackers. As he pointed out himself, events like LinuxConf Europe make only a social impact on kernel development, but an important impact.
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
-
TUXEDO Computers Unveils Linux Laptop Featuring AMD Ryzen CPU
This latest release is the first laptop to include the new CPU from Ryzen and Linux preinstalled.
-
XZ Gets the All-Clear
The back door xz vulnerability has been officially reverted for Fedora 40 and versions 38 and 39 were never affected.
-
Canonical Collaborates with Qualcomm on New Venture
This new joint effort is geared toward bringing Ubuntu and Ubuntu Core to Qualcomm-powered devices.
-
Kodi 21.0 Open-Source Entertainment Hub Released
After a year of development, the award-winning Kodi cross-platform, media center software is now available with many new additions and improvements.
-
Linux Usage Increases in Two Key Areas
If market share is your thing, you'll be happy to know that Linux is on the rise in two areas that, if they keep climbing, could have serious meaning for Linux's future.
-
Vulnerability Discovered in xz Libraries
An urgent alert for Fedora 40 has been posted and users should pay attention.
-
Canonical Bumps LTS Support to 12 years
If you're worried that your Ubuntu LTS release won't be supported long enough to last, Canonical has a surprise for you in the form of 12 years of security coverage.
-
Fedora 40 Beta Released Soon
With the official release of Fedora 40 coming in April, it's almost time to download the beta and see what's new.
-
New Pentesting Distribution to Compete with Kali Linux
SnoopGod is now available for your testing needs
-
Juno Computers Launches Another Linux Laptop
If you're looking for a powerhouse laptop that runs Ubuntu, the Juno Computers Neptune 17 v6 should be on your radar.