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
-
The GNU Project Celebrates Its 40th Birthday
September 27 marks the 40th anniversary of the GNU Project, and it was celebrated with a hacker meeting in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland.
-
Linux Kernel Reducing Long-Term Support
LTS support for the Linux kernel is about to undergo some serious changes that will have a considerable impact on the future.
-
Fedora 39 Beta Now Available for Testing
For fans and users of Fedora Linux, the first beta of release 39 is now available, which is a minor upgrade but does include GNOME 45.
-
Fedora Linux 40 to Drop X11 for KDE Plasma
When Fedora 40 arrives in 2024, there will be a few big changes coming, especially for the KDE Plasma option.
-
Real-Time Ubuntu Available in AWS Marketplace
Anyone looking for a Linux distribution for real-time processing could do a whole lot worse than Real-Time Ubuntu.
-
KSMBD Finally Reaches a Stable State
For those who've been looking forward to the first release of KSMBD, after two years it's no longer considered experimental.
-
Nitrux 3.0.0 Has Been Released
The latest version of Nitrux brings plenty of innovation and fresh apps to the table.
-
Linux From Scratch 12.0 Now Available
If you're looking to roll your own Linux distribution, the latest version of Linux From Scratch is now available with plenty of updates.
-
Linux Kernel 6.5 Has Been Released
The newest Linux kernel, version 6.5, now includes initial support for two very exciting features.
-
UbuntuDDE 23.04 Now Available
A new version of the UbuntuDDE remix has finally arrived with all the updates from the Deepin desktop and everything that comes with the Ubuntu 23.04 base.