1970-01-01 8 hours ago

Linux will be the ultimate test for this. Linus will eventually retire or die. The individual that takes it from there sets the future for all open source. I cannot imagine open source existing if the kernel maintenance is squandered.

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ema 7 hours ago | parent | next [-]

There has been open source before Linux and there will be open source after Linux. Yes Linux is a flagship project but the whole culture of open source is much broader than it.

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smsm42 an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Linus should take a lesson from history and appoint the successor in advance, and publicly groom that person for the role, so nobody would have any doubts.

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Matumio 8 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Disagree, Linux is too big to fail. Too many people depend on it. It may get chaotic, but worst-case distributions will start collecting patches, as they already do for many unmaintained projects. Eventually one or two of them will emerge as the new upstream.

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purple_turtle 7 hours ago | parent [-]

I guess the worst case is that future Linux will end entirely controlled by Google/Facebook/, Microsoft.

	▲	tracker1 6 hours ago \| parent [-]
		While I dislike a lot of what comes out of the FAANG companies, even if the names change over time... I generally feel if most of them can agree on something, it's probably an okay direction. That's generally how politics works, where you find the common ground is generally the better option for everyone.

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zamadatix 7 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

If it doesn't go to Greg Kroah-Hartman and continue much the same I'll eat my shoe.

	▲	layer8 7 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Greg is older than Linus.

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officeplant 7 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

As soon as they opened up the possibility for AI code in the kernel the writing was already on the wall.

See ya'll in BSD land.