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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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How many Linux kernel developers does it take for the project to stall? (www.scannedinavian.com)

submitted 2 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

7 comments fedilink hide all child comments

This is a sobering post that revisits the notion that given a project, how many developers have to be hit by a bus before it stalls.

According to the methodology explained in the article, in 2015 it took 57 developers for the Linux kernel to fail, now it appears that it takes 8.

That's not good.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I always thought the more developers you added the higher the likelihood of stalling.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 2 weeks ago

Two different concepts.

You're talking about work slowing because of increased overhead from more people needing to communicate and make decisions.

The OP is talking about the"bus factor". How many people can leave the project unexpectedly and still have the project survive. E.g. if only one person has access to merge changes, the bus factor is 1 regardless of how many people actively contribute.