From the ‘Circle This’ files:
There was a time when all I needed to know about Linus Torvalds or the current state of kernel development, could be found on the Linux Kernel Mailing List.
This week, Linus Torvalds posted a note on Google +, advising the kernel community that Linux 3.0 would be delayed to deal with a late breaking patch. While Linus delaying or commenting on a kernel release is nothing new, the Google + bit is.
To be honest, I had been avoiding Google + since it had been announced as yet another time sinkhole that I didn’t want to get dragged into. But now, if Linus is posting valuable information on Google +, information that directly affects my use and continued coverage of Linux, can I keep my head buried in the mud?
Not likely.
Where Linus goes, I (for better or for worse) will now follow. If he’s on Google +, then so am I. For journalists that cover Linux, I suppose they’ll all come to the same conclusion too. But what about users?
Following the LKML can be a tedious and painful process. If Linus is giving out vital human-readable kernel information over Google + won’t that be interesting to potentially millions of people? (or at least tens of thousands?)
Does the fact that the father of Linux has now embraced Google + matter? Will Linux users follow him?
I personally suspect that a good number of people will. Heck I did.