Messages in this thread | | | Date | Thu, 1 Oct 1998 23:39:21 -0700 (PDT) | From | Tim Smith <> | Subject | Reducing the pressure is not enough |
| |
There has been much discussion of ways to reduce the pressure on Linus. It seems to me that Linus has given us all one hell of a good system, for free, and so he deserves a lot more than just having the pressure reduced.
What if he decides someday that he doesn't want to run things anymore? Will he be able to quit? At first, this seems an absurd question. He is not under contract to be the head of Linux. He never promised to keep that position for the rest of his life. He has no legal obligation to continue. Yet, he seems to be a decent and honorable fellow, and if his leaving would harm the millions who have grown to depend on Linux, he might, as a matter of personal morality, feel obligated to continue.
In other words, he could become a slave to Linux. These new procedures should go beyond simply letting Linus handle a larger workload so that the rest of us benefit, and should be aimed at letting Linus become non-essential if ever wants to without harming Linux.
--Tim Smith
ps: Actually, I'd kind of like to see what Linus could do in other areas besides the kernel. Imagine if he decided X was not adequate and ended up with something that is to X as Linux is to Unix.
- To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.rutgers.edu Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/
| |