Re: [MAINTAINERS SUMMIT] Time to call it quits for the maintainer summit?

On Fri, Aug 7, 2026 at 1:41 AM Steven Rostedt <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> On Thu, 06 Aug 2026 11:34:09 -0400
> James Bottomley <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
> >
> > there isn't really anything that would move the needle for a potential
> > sponsor.  Equally, there's nothing really that couldn't have been part
> > of a wider discussion at Plumbers or LSF/MM, so I'm not sure there's
> > anything that actually required discussion at this event (i.e. nothing
> > to move the needle for kernel developers either).
>
> Well, I'm guessing that AI will be a big topic this year at MS. That alone
> may drive up sponsorship! If the AI bubble doesn't pop before then, all we
> need to do is market MS as an gathering of those that will influence AI on
> the Linux kernel. ;-)
>
>
> > As for fixes, one possibility is definitely keeping MS as is and moving
> > the sponsor responsibility to Plumbers, but unless I can strap Linus
> > down and sell companies on pitching to him directly, I fear that would
> > end up creating a US$100k hole in our budget.  Perhaps there are
> > actually outcomes we could sell to sponsors but, because of the reduced
> > audience, we simply don't get to hear about them ... so if you think
> > that now would be the time to say what they are.  Another solution that
> > seems viable would be folding the MS into one of our existing sponsored
> > events, like Plumbers or LSF/MM.  Structurally either would be a fit
> > for the past discussion topics and both could probably accommodate
> > (although I don't think either could expand to a fourth day to do it).
> > A final thing we might do is change the structure of the event itself
> > to have more sponsorable outcomes; perhaps simply making the event more
> > like the kernel summit of old, so moving back the KS track from
> > Plumbers would be enough?
>
> I guess it really comes down to what Linus wants. He's been saying he would
> love to get rid of Kernel/Maintainers Summit for years. Does Linus still
> find it useful? It is still good to have the more controversial topics done
> face to face and allow Linus to listen in. I've been saying he needs to
> interact more with the general community given the number of times he told
> me that "nobody does that" when I'm hearing from talking with people at
> conferences that several people do do that.
>
> Thus, I still think it is good to find a way to make Linus do what he loves
> and interact with his fellow developers ;-)  But perhaps it's time to
> rethink the format and restructure it once again.

Please note though that Maintainer Summit now plays a more formal role
in the project due to Documentation/process/conclave.rst, so if the
format is changed substantially, it may also call for an update of
that contingency plan.