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1.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
2
3========================================
4Linux Kernel Contribution Maturity Model
5========================================
6
7
8Background
9==========
10
11As a part of the 2021 Linux Kernel Maintainers’ Summit, there was a
12`discussion <https://lwn.net/Articles/870581/>`_ about the challenges in
13recruiting kernel maintainers as well as maintainer succession. Some of
14the conclusions from that discussion included that companies which are a
15part of the Linux Kernel community need to allow engineers to be
16maintainers as part of their job, so they can grow into becoming
17respected leaders and eventually, kernel maintainers. To support a
18strong talent pipeline, developers should be allowed and encouraged to
19take on upstream contributions such as reviewing other people’s patches,
20refactoring kernel infrastructure, and writing documentation.
21
22To that end, the Linux Foundation Technical Advisory Board (TAB)
23proposes this Linux Kernel Contribution Maturity Model. These common
24expectations for upstream community engagement aim to increase the
25influence of individual developers, increase the collaboration of
26organizations, and improve the overall health of the Linux Kernel
27ecosystem.
28
29The TAB urges organizations to continuously evaluate their Open Source
30maturity model and commit to improvements to align with this model. To
31be effective, this evaluation should incorporate feedback from across
32the organization, including management and developers at all seniority
33levels. In the spirit of Open Source, we encourage organizations to
34publish their evaluations and plans to improve their engagement with the
35upstream community.
36
37Level 0
38=======
39
40* Software Engineers are not allowed to contribute patches to the Linux
41 kernel.
42
43
44Level 1
45=======
46
47* Software Engineers are allowed to contribute patches to the Linux
48 kernel, either as part of their job responsibilities or on their own
49 time.
50
51Level 2
52=======
53
54* Software Engineers are expected to contribute to the Linux Kernel as
55 part of their job responsibilities.
56* Software Engineers will be supported to attend Linux-related
57 conferences as a part of their job.
58* A Software Engineer’s upstream code contributions will be considered
59 in promotion and performance reviews.
60
61Level 3
62=======
63
64* Software Engineers are expected to review patches (including patches
65 authored by engineers from other companies) as part of their job
66 responsibilities
67* Contributing presentations or papers to Linux-related or academic
68 conferences (such those organized by the Linux Foundation, Usenix,
69 ACM, etc.), are considered part of an engineer’s work.
70* A Software Engineer’s community contributions will be considered in
71 promotion and performance reviews.
72* Organizations will regularly report metrics of their open source
73 contributions and track these metrics over time. These metrics may be
74 published only internally within the organization, or at the
75 organization’s discretion, some or all may be published externally.
76 Metrics that are strongly suggested include:
77
78 * The number of upstream kernel contributions by team or organization
79 (e.g., all people reporting up to a manager, director, or VP).
80 * The percentage of kernel developers who have made upstream
81 contributions relative to the total kernel developers in the
82 organization.
83 * The time interval between kernels used in the organization’s servers
84 and/or products, and the publication date of the upstream kernel
85 upon which the internal kernel is based.
86 * The number of out-of-tree commits present in internal kernels.
87
88Level 4
89=======
90
91* Software Engineers are encouraged to spend a portion of their work
92 time focused on Upstream Work, which is defined as reviewing patches,
93 serving on program committees, improving core project infrastructure
94 such as writing or maintaining tests, upstream tech debt reduction,
95 writing documentation, etc.
96* Software Engineers are supported in helping to organize Linux-related
97 conferences.
98* Organizations will consider community member feedback in official
99 performance reviews.
100
101Level 5
102=======
103
104* Upstream kernel development is considered a formal job position, with
105 at least a third of the engineer’s time spent doing Upstream Work.
106* Organizations will actively seek out community member feedback as a
107 factor in official performance reviews.
108* Organizations will regularly report internally on the ratio of
109 Upstream Work to work focused on directly pursuing business goals.
1.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
2
3========================================
4Linux Kernel Contribution Maturity Model
5========================================
6
7
8Background
9==========
10
11As a part of the 2021 Linux Kernel Maintainers’ Summit, there was a
12`discussion <https://lwn.net/Articles/870581/>`_ about the challenges in
13recruiting kernel maintainers as well as maintainer succession. Some of
14the conclusions from that discussion included that companies which are a
15part of the Linux Kernel community need to allow engineers to be
16maintainers as part of their job, so they can grow into becoming
17respected leaders and eventually, kernel maintainers. To support a
18strong talent pipeline, developers should be allowed and encouraged to
19take on upstream contributions such as reviewing other people’s patches,
20refactoring kernel infrastructure, and writing documentation.
21
22To that end, the Linux Foundation Technical Advisory Board (TAB)
23proposes this Linux Kernel Contribution Maturity Model. These common
24expectations for upstream community engagement aim to increase the
25influence of individual developers, increase the collaboration of
26organizations, and improve the overall health of the Linux Kernel
27ecosystem.
28
29The TAB urges organizations to continuously evaluate their Open Source
30maturity model and commit to improvements to align with this model. To
31be effective, this evaluation should incorporate feedback from across
32the organization, including management and developers at all seniority
33levels. In the spirit of Open Source, we encourage organizations to
34publish their evaluations and plans to improve their engagement with the
35upstream community.
36
37Level 0
38=======
39
40* Software Engineers are not allowed to contribute patches to the Linux
41 kernel.
42
43
44Level 1
45=======
46
47* Software Engineers are allowed to contribute patches to the Linux
48 kernel, either as part of their job responsibilities or on their own
49 time.
50
51Level 2
52=======
53
54* Software Engineers are expected to contribute to the Linux Kernel as
55 part of their job responsibilities.
56* Software Engineers will be supported to attend Linux-related
57 conferences as a part of their job.
58* A Software Engineer’s upstream code contributions will be considered
59 in promotion and performance reviews.
60
61Level 3
62=======
63
64* Software Engineers are expected to review patches (including patches
65 authored by engineers from other companies) as part of their job
66 responsibilities
67* Contributing presentations or papers to Linux-related or academic
68 conferences (such those organized by the Linux Foundation, Usenix,
69 ACM, etc.), are considered part of an engineer’s work.
70* A Software Engineer’s community contributions will be considered in
71 promotion and performance reviews.
72* Organizations will regularly report metrics of their open source
73 contributions and track these metrics over time. These metrics may be
74 published only internally within the organization, or at the
75 organization’s discretion, some or all may be published externally.
76 Metrics that are strongly suggested include:
77
78 * The number of upstream kernel contributions by team or organization
79 (e.g., all people reporting up to a manager, director, or VP).
80 * The percentage of kernel developers who have made upstream
81 contributions relative to the total kernel developers in the
82 organization.
83 * The time interval between kernels used in the organization’s servers
84 and/or products, and the publication date of the upstream kernel
85 upon which the internal kernel is based.
86 * The number of out-of-tree commits present in internal kernels.
87
88Level 4
89=======
90
91* Software Engineers are encouraged to spend a portion of their work
92 time focused on Upstream Work, which is defined as reviewing patches,
93 serving on program committees, improving core project infrastructure
94 such as writing or maintaining tests, upstream tech debt reduction,
95 writing documentation, etc.
96* Software Engineers are supported in helping to organize Linux-related
97 conferences.
98* Organizations will consider community member feedback in official
99 performance reviews.
100
101Level 5
102=======
103
104* Upstream kernel development is considered a formal job position, with
105 at least a third of the engineer’s time spent doing Upstream Work.
106* Organizations will actively seek out community member feedback as a
107 factor in official performance reviews.
108* Organizations will regularly report internally on the ratio of
109 Upstream Work to work focused on directly pursuing business goals.