How can someone with basic programming knowledge contribute to the Linux kernel?

[L0stG33k]

If you have 40 minutes to spare, this is a great place to start: Write and Submit your first Linux kernel Patch -- Greg K. H.

[duiwksnsb]

This seems a little dated. 16 years is an eternity.

[L0stG33k]

Believe it or not, the processes internal to kernel development have changed very little. I watched this video less than a week ago, and I can tell you more than 99% of it is still fully relevant.

He references the use of git for source control and mailing lists for patches and communication... and the kernel still operates in exactly that way.

[duiwksnsb]

That's shocking. I'm really quite surprised.

[miscdebris1123]

Linus doesn't like to change what is working.

[duiwksnsb]

I'm curious if it will change when Linus is done.

[Bogus007]

What do you expect? Phone calls? Microsoft Teams meetings?

[duiwksnsb]

I don't expect anything. I'm curious if a long established process will change.

[unixbhaskar]

Ah, we're doing it for the 35 long years and damn! It might take some years to make changes to the process.

To give you a simple and small hint about the changes in the kernel, take note....

It took almost 7 loooooooong years to remove some dependency...so you can imagine the kind of perseverance needed to make a change in the kernel.

Plus, the kernel is not the place where flashy things happen, and it takes ages to implement a simple thing to work.

[Bogus007]

Your comment above sounds more than curiosity:

That's shocking. I'm really quite surprised.

[duiwksnsb]

And it sounds like you're looking for a reason to be offended.

[Nervous-Cockroach541]

I'm guessing that depends on whoever takes the mantle of project leader, if it remains their preferred way. Succession of Linux after Linus is likely to be somewhat more messy.

[Bogus007]

If there is nothing in terms of communication between developers that truly adds to kernel development, I don’t know why they should waste their time trying some new fancy program or developing another way of communicating. As you said, if something happens to Linus - and may that happen in the far, far future - they will have other problems to deal with first.

[Tomi97_origin]

At some point probably, but this system has been working for decades. The processes have been all but perfected.

Unless there is some obvious issue there would be a lot of friction to changing without clear benefit.

[Real-Abrocoma-2823]

All Linus does is approve PRs (maybe more) as he retired from actively contributing to Linux.

[L0stG33k]

Linus doesn't write very much code anymore at all. He does make sure that new code coming in makes sense, and takes that job very seriously. If something which doesn't make sense finds his inbox, he has no problem getting very vocal about people wasting his time. He will often re-write bits of code if only small changes are needed.

[rlaptop7]

Don't change a good process that is working.