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| 1 | +.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0 |
| 2 | +
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| 3 | +Linux kernel project continuity |
| 4 | +=============================== |
| 5 | + |
| 6 | +The Linux kernel development project is widely distributed, with over |
| 7 | +100 maintainers each working to keep changes moving through their own |
| 8 | +repositories. The final step, though, is a centralized one where changes |
| 9 | +are pulled into the mainline repository. That is normally done by Linus |
| 10 | +Torvalds but, as was demonstrated by the 4.19 release in 2018, there are |
| 11 | +others who can do that work when the need arises. |
| 12 | + |
| 13 | +Should the maintainers of that repository become unwilling or unable to |
| 14 | +do that work going forward (including facilitating a transition), the |
| 15 | +project will need to find one or more replacements without delay. The |
| 16 | +process by which that will be done is listed below. $ORGANIZER is the |
| 17 | +last Maintainer Summit organizer or the current Linux Foundation (LF) |
| 18 | +Technical Advisory Board (TAB) Chair as a backup. |
| 19 | + |
| 20 | +- Within 72 hours, $ORGANIZER will open a discussion with the invitees |
| 21 | + of the most recently concluded Maintainers Summit. A meeting of those |
| 22 | + invitees and the TAB, either online or in-person, will be set as soon |
| 23 | + as possible in a way that maximizes the number of people who can |
| 24 | + participate. |
| 25 | + |
| 26 | +- If there has been no Maintainers Summit in the last 15 months, the set of |
| 27 | + invitees for this meeting will be determined by the TAB. |
| 28 | + |
| 29 | +- The invitees to this meeting may bring in other maintainers as needed. |
| 30 | + |
| 31 | +- This meeting, chaired by $ORGANIZER, will consider options for the |
| 32 | + ongoing management of the top-level kernel repository consistent with |
| 33 | + the expectation that it maximizes the long term health of the project |
| 34 | + and its community. |
| 35 | + |
| 36 | +- Within two weeks, a representative of this group will communicate to the |
| 37 | + broader community, using the ksummit@lists.linux.dev mailing list, what |
| 38 | + the next steps will be. |
| 39 | + |
| 40 | +The Linux Foundation, as guided by the TAB, will take the steps |
| 41 | +necessary to support and implement this plan. |
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