Torvalds' Outburst: A Blast from the Past

In a fiery display reminiscent of his earlier rants, Linux chief Linus Torvalds has issued a stern rebuke to kernel developer Palmer Dabbelt for submitting RISC-V patches just a day before the merge window closed. Torvalds didn’t hold back, describing the last-minute patches as something that ‘makes the world actively a worse place to live.’

A History of Unfiltered Critique

Torvalds is well-known for his blunt critiques within the development community. His infamous 2012 tirade against Nvidia and other scathing comments over the years have left some developers disheartened. Despite an effort to soften his approach after a public apology in 2018, it appears Torvalds hasn't completely abandoned his blunt style.

Too Late and Too Complex

Dabbelt himself acknowledged the lateness of his submission on the Linux kernel mailing list. He admitted to facing a few minor merge conflicts but insisted that the essential components looked fine. However, Torvalds sharply disagreed, calling the patches ‘garbage’ and criticizing their quality.

Torvalds’ Specific Gripes

The Linux leader specifically lambasted a convoluted helper function intended to convert two 16-bit integers into a 32-bit integer. He argued that such unnecessary complexity only complicates life for users and cautioned against adding it to a generic header file.

A Clear Warning

Torvalds concluded his tirade with a stern warning: no more late submissions and no more subpar contributions outside the RISC-V tree. The stakes are high for Dabbelt, who will now need to ensure that future patches are submitted early and, crucially, of high quality.

Developer’s Response

In response, Dabbelt acknowledged his mistake, expressing regret over the delays and pledging to improve. The tension is palpable as the RISC-V community waits for the revisions expected in the upcoming Linux 6.18 release.

Anticipation Building for Future Releases

As RISC-V enthusiasts look forward to the anticipated fixes and features, Torvalds has made it clear: timing and quality are paramount. The next submission must be spot on, or they’ll face his ire once more.