INTERVIEW | Linux is burdened with enterprise crap that makes it run poorly on desktop PCs, says kernel developer Con Kolivas who recently walked away from years of work on it.
 Con Kolivas |
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Con Kolivas is a prominent developer on the Linux kernel and strong proponent of Linux on the desktop. But recently, he left it all behind. Why?
In this interview with APCMag.com, Con gives insightful answers exploring the nature of the hardware and software market, the problems the Linux kernel must overcome for the desktop, and why despite all this he’s now left it all behind.
Read on for an honest appraisal of Linux, and why it has some way to go yet.
You wouldn’t know it from seeing him online, but by day Con Kolivas works an anaesthetist at a hospital in Melbourne. Linux kernel hacking is just one of his hobbies.
Despite this, Con is one of the most well known names in Linux kernel development — and with good reason. His focus on improving the kernel for desktop performance has won him a legion of fans, and his patchsets for the Linux kernel (marked as -ck) have had a significant impact. So much so that some of his changes have been directly incorporated into the kernel, and some of ideas inspire changes still taking place.
Recently, however, Con announced he was leaving it all behind. Interested in hearing what prompted the move I contacted Con to talk about the reasons for his leaving, what it takes to be a kernel developer, the future as he sees it.
The response I got was more than I bargained for — in the conversation that followed, Con explored not just why he left, but also the challenges the Linux kernel must overcome as he sees it, and the very nature of the hardware and software market that led to the computing environment we have today. Whether you’re a Windows user or Linux user, he makes some excellent points.
Rather than break up the Con’s responses, we’re publishing it as it stands. So grab a coffee, make yourself comfortable, and read on.