Terence EdenFeb 16, 2025

Young folks: Please can we contribute using modern git-based workflow rather than email?
Old farts: No.

👶: OK, but can we at least use modern memory-safe languages?
👴: Also no.

👶: Perhaps we could modernise our language & attitudes to be more inclusive?
👴: LOL! No.

👶: Could we at least consider addressing some long-standing community issues?
👴: What part of "no" are you having trouble understanding?

⏳ ⌛

👴: Why aren't there any new people contributing to our project? Truly a mystery. 🙃

Show threadJonathan CorbetFeb 16, 2025
@Edent So this appears to be a lightly disguised criticism of the kernel project ... the project that is working hard to incorporate Rust into a 30+-year-old code base, is (slowly) developing new contribution tools, and sees 2-300 new contributors in each and every one of its nine-week release cycles.

There are plenty of problems in kernelland, but they will not be improved by a distorted view like this.
Show threadLuis VillaFeb 16, 2025
@corbet @Edent from an outside view, the Rust thing appears to be suffering active sabotage that Linus is making little effort to stop.
Show threadBinder🅅Feb 18, 2025

@luis_in_brief @corbet @Edent

Not quite...
There are methods for maintaining dual language codebases like this. The rust folks don't want to follow those method and would rather steamroll the whole process. IMO they were correct to push back... happy to chat more indepth on this one.

Show threadJonathan Corbet
@binder @luis_in_brief @Edent Strange, I have not seen much "steamrolling" going on, certainly not on the part of the Rust folks. But, if you have thoughts on how things could run more smoothly, joining the mailing-list discussion with constructive comments might be a good thing to do.
Feb 18, 2025 at 2:50pmWeb
Show threadBinder🅅Feb 18, 2025

@corbet @Edent @luis_in_brief

"steamrolling" being a strong term.

More they were pushing for code where it wasn't wanted. Maintainers should not be "forced" to accept code, and indeed, rust code should 'generally' be kept separate. This of course causes a whole lot of other issues, but that is what you get for having a dual language codebase.

The technical methods to handle these sorts of projects are not complex, the political aspects of course are not.

Many years of OSS have taught me what my strengths are, and political issues are not among them.

If I could give advice (which would not be accepted)... it would be to look at how enterprise handles multi language codebases.