This situation presented two options: stay in Vancouver without Torvalds or move to Edinburgh with Torvalds. Torvalds himself preferred the first option, but this idea was met with resistance, suggesting that Torvalds’ behavior, which is known to have driven some developers away from kernel development entirely, was one of the issues that the maintainers wanted to discuss. Accordingly, the decision was made to move to Edinburgh to fit in with his vacation. That such a disruptive change of venue should occur indicates there’s considerable strength of feeling about Torvalds’ presence.
Simultaneously with this, the Linux project now has a code of conduct. Previously, the project had a “code of conflict”: a short document that asserts that the code quality is the only thing that matters and implores developers to “be excellent to each other.” The new code of conduct is more extensive and sets explicit standards for behavior, requiring it to be positive, professional, welcoming, and inclusive.
Together, these changes represent a big shake-up of the kernel development process and style. Of course, it remains to be seen whether anything will actually change—old habits die hard, after all. Kernel developer and Torvalds critic Matthew Garrett tweeted that the changes are a “long overdue step in the right direction” but that he’ll “believe it when [he sees] some actual change.” By contrast, many denizens of the /r/Linux subreddit are unimpressed, dismissing the code of conduct as made up by a “completely insane and bigoted individual” and claiming that “millenial [sic] snowflakes finally got to him.”