

Linus on kernel management style (2004) - davvid
http://lwn.net/Articles/105375/

======
gmartres
Here's the latest version:
<https://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/ManagementStyle>

------
jon6
> There's just a few simple rules here: > (1) don't call people d*ckheads (at
> least not in public)

lulz..

[http://marc.info/?l=linux-
kernel&m=133141623921011&w...](http://marc.info/?l=linux-
kernel&m=133141623921011&w=2)

~~~
DarkShikari
Note carefully: though being his usual brand of unfathomably blunt, Linus is
talking about the code, _not the person who wrote it_. He's obviously bothered
by the approach the code takes, but he probably doesn't think the person who
wrote it is a 'dickhead' -- _anyone_ can write truly awful code, even Linus.

In this case, it looks (from a quick glance) like some Patch X seemed like a
good idea, but ended up requiring Patch Y, which was really ugly, and
suggested that Patch X maybe wasn't the best idea to begin with.

Of course, this takes getting used to -- part of Linus's style is to be very
blunt, call his opinions straightforwardly, and happily insult anyone's code,
even his own, when it isn't living up to standards. To work with Linus, you
need to have zero ego about your own code -- the goal is to get the best code
into the kernel (no matter who wrote it), not to get _your_ code into the
kernel.

It's not always perfect, but I generally think it's a good approach, and it
seems to largely work.

------
richardk
"The option of being unfailingly polite really doesn't exist. Nobody will
trust somebody who is so clearly hiding his true character."

What if you don't know your "true character" How are you supposed to behave
then?

~~~
cbs
Then you have an existential problem kernel development won't help you solve.

