Linus Torvalds postpones Linux 6.8 merge window after being taken offline by storms
Linus Torvalds postpones Linux 6.8 merge window after being taken offline by storms
Roads are icy and drivers are dangerous. There will be no Starbucks run.
Pfft Linux can't even deal with a bit of rain. This is why I use my abacus.
Look at this fancy guy using an abacus. Everyone knows the superior way is to harness your own mind as your computer.
If only I could get some spice.
I'm simply using Brain and Brain++ compilers to build and run ideas. Plus you can overclock your own neurons
This is why windows is better, it doesn't suffer from stormy weather. Puny Linux users and their weather based OS
I don’t know man, speaking as someone who lives in a hurricane-heavy locale we have to deal with broken windows due to storms with some regularity.
bill gates controls the weather
Don't be silly, that's just ridiculous. He's not that powerful. But he is on the secret syndicate boards with the people that do. 😳
He only controls the windows that keep it out!
Does Linus still maintain that much control over it? I feel like I read something a few years ago about him starting to step back.
In a certain light, you could argue that Linus doesn't really have any control at all. He doesn't write any code for Linux (hasn't in many years), doesn't do any real planning or commanding or managing. "All" he does is coordinate merges and maintain his own personal git branch. (And he's not alone in that: a lot of people maintain their own Linux branches). He has literally no formal authority at all in Linux development.
It just so happens that, by a very large margin, his own personal git branch is the most popular and trusted in the world. People trust his judgment for what goes in and doesn't go in.
It's not like Linux development is stopped because Linus goes offline (or goes on vacation or whatever). People keep writing code and discussing and testing and whatnot. It's just that without Linus's discerning eye casting judgment on their work, it doesn't enter the mainstream.
Nothing will really get slowed down. Whether something officially gets labelled by Linus as "6.8" or "6.whatever" doesn't really matter in the big picture of Linux development.
He does still own the trademark though.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Linus Torvalds has indefinitely postponed the merge window for version 6.8 of the Linux kernel after a winter storm knocked out power and internet near his work-from-home location in Oregon.
On Saturday Torvalds shared news that temperatures in his area near Portland fell to 14°F (-10°C) and that the power outage was widespread.
The United States National Weather Service warned on Saturday that a winter storm had brought precipitation, strong wind and very cold temperatures.
Local media reported four to five inches of snow (10-13 cm), blocked roads, over 150,000 people left without power, disrupted public transportation, and several cold weather-related deaths.
It’s a scenario that would make one reconsider ever leaving the house, assuming adequate warmth inside the home.
Linux-watchers may recall that January would often see Torvalds head down under to attend antipodean FOSS-fest Linux.conf.au, then sneak in a little diving in local waters.
The original article contains 348 words, the summary contains 146 words. Saved 58%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
These aren't even close to extreme conditions in my area and I don't even live that up North from Portland. Is American power grid that much of a joke?
I imagine each grid is built to expected temperatures. So if it unusual for the area, it is problematic. I know my parent has similar weather in Ireland about 15 years ago and all the water pipes were frozen so they lost running water. That was about 15 degrees c colder than usual, about 10 degrees colder than I ever remember growing up. Texas has had recurrent problems too with their grid. Australia has had problems due to flooding. It’s just another effect of global warming.
It's probably due to ice and wind. Ice freezes on power lines and the wind causes the lines to "gallop." Look up some videos of galloping lines. With more infrastructure going underground where it can, this is becoming less of an issue obviously. But it's not just inches of snow and temperatures that cause the problems.
Yes, the US grid is that bad (especially the profoundly corrupt Texas utility).
But in Linus's case, it was just a big fucking tree that came down on his street. That tree looks like a scary mess to clear.
I've lived my entire life in Portland. This is the coldest Portland's gotten in my memory. We spent most of the weekend without power in a house hovering around 40F (4C). Four people are known to have died so far, including one from a tree falling on his bedroom. Is it not as cold as your neck of the woods? Sure. But it's very, very unusual for it to be this cold, so it hits harder when it does happen.