Linux Kernel Development: A Worldwide Effort

From your Android-based smartphone to super-computer clusters that simulate NASA space missions – Linux powers the mission-critical devices we can’t live without. But have you ever taken a moment to think about how this open-source OS stays up to date with critical kernel updates? The answer lies in the worldwide developers who work tirelessly to enhance the Linux kernel.

Let’s learn more about the Linux kernel development process and how it’s done.

What is Linux Kernel Development? A History

Developing Linux’s kernel is one of the largest, most complex software projects ever undertaken. First released in 1991 by Linus Torvalds, the Linux kernel is found on almost any device, thanks to dedicated teams of software engineers, developers, and amateur enthusiasts.

Around 15,000 developers from across the globe have contributed to the Linux kernel over the past 30 years! (Not all actively contribute now, but that number is still several thousand.) 

This worldwide collaboration has been instrumental to the Linux kernel's success. However, developing such advanced, large-scale software with globally distributed teams comes with many challenges. 

It is difficult to coordinate code, communicate effectively, and work together productively across time zones, languages, and cultures. To learn more about how the Linux Foundation’s processes are evolving, look at the latest report on their site from 2020. It gives a fascinating view into the internal workings of kernel collaboration developments.

Who Helps Update the Kernel? 

As we mentioned, thousands of developers tirelessly work on the Linux kernel. It’s hard to believe that so many people are involved in something free for people to use, but these teams span the globe. They are made up of a wide variety of talented people with various skills and technical capabilities. 

Corporate entities also contribute to the Linux kernel’s continued development. These contributors come from corporations like Intel, Red Hat, and SUSE, while volunteer hobbyists, university academics, and independent developers add incredible value to the undertaking. They collaborate on kernel development in various ways. Still, Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux, has the final say about which code is merged into the stable codebase of the kernel. (This is delegated to another approved party when Linus Torvalds is unavailable.)

Mailing lists are the primary channel for technical discussions, comments, and debate, and developers use version control platforms (discussed in more detail later) to manage changes and contributions to the code. 

Using bug trackers helps coordinate fixes with each new release, allowing bugs to be squashed quickly. It’s not all just remote work, though. Face-to-face gatherings like the annual Linux Kernel Maintainer Summit enable in-person relationship building, letting developers check in and meet up in real life. 

Linux Kernel Code Collaboration: Teams Bring Much-Needed Experience

The Linux kernel community has developed collaborative practices for working on code together. Kernel source code is hosted in public Git, GitHub, GitLab, and repositories on sites like kernel.org.

This allows developers worldwide to access the codebase. Contributors submit patches and improvements to subsystem maintainers via email, and some subsystems allow maintainers to submit pull requests. This kicks off code reviews and discussions of the changes and what they aim to accomplish. 

Peer reviews help catch bugs and ensure coding standards are met before merging changes. Continuous integration systems test changes across configurations. Automated builds and tests prevent regressions when integrating updated code from many developers, but manual testing is still a valuable part of the process. Collaborative code tools and reviews enable smooth technical collaboration on kernel development.

Insights into Managing Global-Scale Teams

The development practices and community dynamics that enabled the Linux kernel's success in managing global collaboration provide valuable learnings for other large, distributed software teams. Applying similar communication norms and workflows can help global collaboration. 

It is important to consider that teams must contend with certain cultural differences between team members. Having these insights helps greatly but doesn’t always prevent misunderstandings, so robust discussion and communication are essential for such a large collaborative undertaking. 

While challenges exist in coordinating software development worldwide, the Linux kernel community shows it is possible. As software development becomes increasingly globalized, the collaboration practices used by the Linux kernel community serve as a model for collaborative development worldwide and offer many valuable lessons to other projects.

Insight into Updating Linux Kernel: Key Takeaways

We hope that you have found the process of updating the Linux kernel interesting. If you have, then be sure to check out the LPIC-1 and LPIC-2 online training. It covers topics essential for Linux administrators to help them control important tasks. 

It is important to know that while the collaboration of all these teams is vital to Linux's success, it is not the only feature that makes this OS so stable and robust. Linux has a good licensing model, great technical design, and community oversight that gives us an open-source operating system that works on millions of devices worldwide.