Linus Torvalds is taking a temporary Break...

Soldato
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Changes the code of conduct to be more trendy, literally spelling out micro categories of forbidden discrimination and goes on leave to become more sensitive.

Maybe he's being blackmailed.
 
Man of Honour
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I don't think he wanted to even be at the last kernel summit. He booked a family holiday at the same time in Scotland. So they moved the summit at the last minute to Scotland so he could be there :D But his comment on it did leave me with the impression he just didn't want to attend.

In the long term his taking a break is probably a good thing for Linux as a whole. There have been concerns about how Linux would continue if he stepped down. I guess that doing it this way, announced as a temporary break (even if it turns out to be long term), allows the rest of the community to show that things can continue just fine without him.

But it does sound like a bit of a political power struggle in the background and that is a concern. I would guess he was pushed into it. Just like any power vacuum there will be fighting behind the scenes as people vie for a more influential position.

I do hope he comes back, even with his colourful language. There are so few of the old skool technology characters left now. Most have been replaced with corporate figureheads or committed.
 
Man of Honour
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Not even remotely comparable

I do agree though it will make no difference.
While I agree Linux will continue and it won't even seem like a hiccup, I do genuinely think there will be a difference. He's more than a figurehead. He's a filter for high quality code. If something wasn't right or if the code wasn't elegant then he rejected it and wasn't afraid to say it was poor. While there are many criticisms of Linux it also gets many things right. That's due to the quality of the submissions to the kernel. With Linus gone, if it turns out to be long term, then code quality may weaken.
 
Man of Honour
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I agree it's an empty threat under GPL V2. But the wider impact will be if the better maintainers are either forced out or feel they no longer wish to contribute to an organisation they no longer feel welcome in. Over time the quality of code may deteriorate.
 
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