this post was submitted on 12 Nov 2024
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Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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This is a sobering post that revisits the notion that given a project, how many developers have to be hit by a bus before it stalls.

According to the methodology explained in the article, in 2015 it took 57 developers for the Linux kernel to fail, now it appears that it takes 8.

That's not good.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

What will happen when Linus dies ?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I guess there's only one way to find out.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

But please take a snapshot of the planet first

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I always thought the more developers you added the higher the likelihood of stalling.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 3 days ago

Two different concepts.

You're talking about work slowing because of increased overhead from more people needing to communicate and make decisions.

The OP is talking about the"bus factor". How many people can leave the project unexpectedly and still have the project survive. E.g. if only one person has access to merge changes, the bus factor is 1 regardless of how many people actively contribute.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

the years as a system admin taught me that you can identify the influential contributors because they were the only people whose accounts were not immediately shut off when the management identified a bus factor.

and now i have a name for the phenomena; thank you.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

If the lessons that I've learned about lightbulb replacement are applicable, then the nationality of the developers on the bus will impact the answer to your question.