Re: […] an apology, and a maintainership note

Martin Steigerwald
2018-09-17T07:57:37Z

Dear Linus.

Linus Torvalds - 16.09.18, 21:22:
> This is my reality. I am not an emotionally empathetic kind of person
> and that probably doesn't come as a big surprise to anybody. Least
> of all me. The fact that I then misread people and don't realize
> (for years) how badly I've judged a situation and contributed to an
> unprofessional environment is not good.
>
> This week people in our community confronted me about my lifetime of
> not understanding emotions. My flippant attacks in emails have been
> both unprofessional and uncalled for. Especially at times when I made
> it personal. In my quest for a better patch, this made sense to me.
> I know now this was not OK and I am truly sorry.
>
> The above is basically a long-winded way to get to the somewhat
> painful personal admission that hey, I need to change some of my
> behavior, and I want to apologize to the people that my personal
> behavior hurt and possibly drove away from kernel development
> entirely.

I applaud you for the courage to go the bold step you have gone with
this mail. I can imagine coming up with this mail has been challenging
for you.

Your step provides a big chance for a shift to happen towards a more
welcoming and friendly Linux kernel community. From what I saw here as
mostly someone who tests rc kernels and as mostly a by-stander of kernel
development you may not be the only one here having challenges to deal
with emotions.

I once learned that there may be two types of personality, one who dives
deeply into emotions and one who does not. Two types of personality who
often have challenges to understand each other. I believe that people of
those two types of personality can learn from each other.

It is important to move beyond right and wrong or good and bad in this.
Whenever I act, I receive feedback (even the lack of feedback is a
feedback). Do I like this feedback? Or do I like to create a different
result? If I like to create a different result, its important to act
differently, as its unlikely that the same behavior will create a
different result.

Thank you, Linus.

--
Martin