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Linus Torvalds Ranting and Intel Layoffs Impact Maintainers
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Tom's Hardware ☛ Linus Torvalds calls RISC-V code from Google engineer 'garbage' and says it 'makes the world actively a worse place to live' — Linux honcho puts dev on notice for late submissions, too
The comment from Torvalds wasn't just bile. He went on to give some examples of where the RISC-V pull request went astray. But even in this mostly reasoned response, Torvalds couldn’t resist adding a few more barbs.
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The Register UK ☛ Torvalds blasts tardy kernel dev: Your 'garbage' RISC-V patches are 'making the world worse'
Linux head honcho Linus Torvalds has put a kernel developer "on notice" for waiting until the eleventh hour to supply a patch set for Linux on RISC-V systems which "makes the world actively a worse place to live" – in a scathing missive harkening back to his invective-laden tirades of old.
Torvalds' brusque attitude was perhaps most well demonstrated in a 2012 interview in which harsh yet arguably deserved invective was thrust, alongside a middle finger, at graphics giant turned AI cash-cow Nvidia.
Yet this was relatively mild compared to how he reacted to Intel's Spectre patch. His aggressive responses are known to have chased people out of kernel development, and in 2018 Torvalds issued an apology for "flippant attacks" which "have been both unprofessional and uncalled for."
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Tom's Hardware ☛ Major Intel Linux driver projects are dying due to Intel layoffs and corporate restructuring — compatibility and reliability issues could increase over time
Intel is continuing to lay off more Linux maintainers due to corporate restructuring within the company. Phoronix reports that at least four more Intel Linux maintainers have left the company, leaving some of the Linux drivers they worked on without support.
Update
More on the criticism:
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Linux founder harshly criticizes RISC-V code from Google engineer: "It's garbage that makes the world worse"
Linux founder Linus Torvalds has rejected a request to include code for the RISC-V architecture sent by Google engineer Palmer Dubbelt, calling it "garbage." Tom's Hardware reports that the request to include the code in the Linux 6.17 kernel was submitted on August 8, but Torvalds sharply criticized both its quality and the timing of its submission.
In his comment, Torvalds noted that he had requested that requests be submitted in advance due to a planned trip, adding, "if you can't follow that rule, at least make the pull requests *good*." He pointed out that the code contained changes to common header files that were not directly related to RISC-V, calling them "stuff that nobody should ever send me, never mind late in a merge window."
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Will We Ever See a Linux Merge Window Without Drama? Linus Calls RISC-V Patches "Garbage" [Ed: Stupid headline; those things are very rare. Very rare.]
The Linux kernel development process has seen its fair share of drama over the years, with heated debates and last-minute patch submissions often stirring the pot.
Just a few months ago, we covered the controversy surrounding the bcachefs file system being dropped from the Linux kernel, which raised questions about code quality and maintainability.
Now, the spotlight moves again as RISC-V patches for the upcoming Linux 6.17 merge window hit a rough patch with Linus Torvalds himself rejecting them over timing and quality concerns.
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Linux developer receives public warning from Torvalds
Linus Torvalds has publicly called out a Linux kernel developer for a late patch that “makes the world actively a worse place to live.” The Linux founder’s fierce response is reminiscent of his infamous rants from the past.
Torvalds aimed Palmer Dabbelt, a Google employee and long-time contributor, who submitted a series of patches for RISC-V support in Linux 6.17. The timing of the submission, one day before the merge window closed, was problematic, but Torvalds was particularly dissatisfied with the quality of the code itself.
ZDNet/LF PR operative:
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Linus Torvalds blasts kernel dev for 'making the world worse' with 'garbage' patches
You can't say Linux creator Linus Torvalds didn't give the kernel developers fair warning.
He'd told them: "The upcoming merge window for 6.17 is going to be slightly chaotic for me. I have multiple family events this August (a wedding and a big birthday), and with said family being spread not only across the US, but in Finland too, I'm spending about half the month traveling."
TechRadar:
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Intel exits key Linux development roles amid job cuts, leaving mobile workstations and developer laptops vulnerable to driver neglect and software decay
Intel’s ongoing restructuring has led to significant changes in its contributions to Linux kernel development.
The Linux kernel mailing list shows that several Intel-developed drivers have been marked as orphaned following the exit of key engineers.
One example is the Intel WWAN IOSM driver, used with certain M.2 modems and found in some Chromebooks, which no longer has a maintainer following the departure of M. Chetan Kumar.
Two More:
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Intel's job cuts gut Linux driver support
Troubled Chipzilla’s decision to sack around 24,000 workers has not only left its product lines short-staffed, it has gutted some of the essential work keeping Linux support alive for Intel hardware.
Among the departed were several engineers who maintained critical drivers in the Linux kernel, and their exit has left those drivers officially orphaned.
Phoronix’s Michael Larabel spotted the damage after patches appeared on the public Linux kernel mailing list removing maintainer entries for developers no longer on Intel’s books.
The casualties include the Intel Ethernet RDMA driver, now left to a single engineer after the departure of Mustafa Ismail, and the Intel PTP DFL ToD driver, which lost Tianfei Zhang and now has no maintainer at all.
The Intel WWAN IOSM driver, kept alive by M Chetan Kumar for older systems, has been abandoned, while the Intel Keem Bay DRM driver is down to one co-maintainer after Anil S Keshavamurthy’s exit. Even the T7XX 5G WWAN driver lost both of its engineers in the bloodletting.
Intel's Linux Exodus: CPU Temperature Monitoring and Critical Drivers Orphaned
Intel's unprecedented crisis deepens with over 24,000 global layoffs confirmed this year as part of a brutal workforce reduction.
The turmoil extends to leadership, with CEO Lip-Bu Tan facing Trump administration pressure for resignation over alleged China connections. Sadly, these turbulences now jeopardize Intel's Linux ecosystem contributions.
And one more:
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Linux hits a snag as Intel employees maintaining some of its drivers are laid off
Intel has been having a rough period. It recently cut about 24,000 jobs in order to stay competitive, which is a vast number of people who are suddenly looking for work. And, as you might imagine, those layoffs have meant that different areas of Intel are likely going to be a bit understaffed as a result.