Who is behind Linux

[tech291083]

Hi,

I just came across this page on the net and it has got some useful info regarding who the real people behind Linux are. How is developing it, how many developers are involved, top developers and their individual contributions, total lines of code, companies that help them etc etc.Thanks...

http://www.linuxfoundation.org/publications/linuxkerneldevelopment.php

Any other reliable document that you are aware of citing the exact/approximate no. of developers worldwide?

[jbennet]

Nope. To a degree, one could say that every user of opensource software is a developer

That information is just for Linux (the kernel) itself instead of the userland, by the way.

[michinobu_zoned]

I disagree. I use Linux and do nothing to contribute to its kernel. Unless you're scale of "degree"s includes 0 as a degree, I think that you can't say that everyone who uses opensource software is a "developer" to any degree.

[Comatose]

I disagree. I use Linux and do nothing to contribute to its kernel....

Well If you really want to get technical, Linux /IS/ the kernel, and ONLY the kernel. The truth is, the operating system name is GNU (Recursive Acronym that means GNU is NOT UNIX), and "Linux" is the kernel that GNU uses :p

[John A]

>The truth is, the operating system name is GNU (Recursive Acronym
>that means GNU is NOT UNIX), and "Linux" is the kernel that GNU uses
Says GNU. In my experience, the only people who seriously call it that are either GNU zealots or people who've read GNU's propaganda. They keep talking about how their Hurd kernel is going to be ready... someday :icon_rolleyes:

[Comatose]

Well, unless my history is off (which it could be) GNU was started in like 86.... "Linux" ... not until 91?

edit: my bad, you said "seriously call it that." You're right.

[jbennet]

I disagree. I use Linux and do nothing to contribute to its kernel. Unless you're scale of "degree"s includes 0 as a degree, I think that you can't say that everyone who uses opensource software is a "developer" to any degree.

You are beta testing essentially.

[Toba]

To say that one is a developer to a degree because you're testing a system is not a valid point at all. Release (not development) versions of kernels, especially those picked up and used by distributions, almost never have bugs that crop up and cause any serious issues.

You could say the same thing of OSX or Windows, and it wouldn't be true there either.

On the topic of what to call the distributions of software comprised of the Linux Kernel, GNU software, and other software... you can call it Linux, GNU/Linux, or you can try to describe it for what it really is (an amalgamation of thousands of software packages, most of them licensed under OSI approved licenses) whenever you refer to it. It's simplest to call it Linux so that's what most people do.