Linus Torvalds, the creator and principal developer of the Linux kernel, is taking a break from overseeing its development to work on correcting his “unprofessional” behavior towards others.
Torvalds made the announcement in an open letter to the Linux community shared through the Linux Kernel Mailing List (LKML). In it, he acknowledged that he is “not an emotionally empathetic kind of person,” and that his rough attitude may have driven talented developers away from Linux. He also apologized for his “flippant attacks in emails” that were sometimes personal.
“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,” Torvalds said.
“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,” he added. “I’m going to take time off and get some assistance on how to understand people’s emotions and respond appropriately.”
Torvalds has not been one to mince words when he disagrees with other developers, and it can be especially tough on newcomers.
