It may be the biggest story in open source in 2018, a year that saw Microsoft purchase GitHub. Linus Torvalds replaced the Code of Conflict for the Linux kernel with a Code of Conduct. In a message on the Linux Kernel Mailing List (LKML), Torvalds explained that he was taking time off to examine the way he led the kernel development community.

Torvalds has taken a lot of flak for his style over the years, including on this blog. While he has done an excellent job shepherding the technical development of the Linux kernel, his community management has often — to put it mildly — left something to be desired. Abusive and insulting behavior is corrosive to a community, and Torvalds has spent the better part of the last three decades enabling and partaking in it.

But he has seen the light, it would seem. To an outside observer, this change is rather abrupt, but it is welcome. Reaction to his message has been mixed. Some, like my friend Jono Bacon, have advocated supporting Linus in his awakening. Others take a more cynical approach:

I understand Kelly’s position. It’s frustrating to push for a more welcoming and inclusive community only to be met with insults and then when someone finally comes around to have everyone celebrate. Kelly and others who feel like her are absolutely justified in their position.

For myself, I like to think of it as a modern parable of the prodigal son. As tempting as it is to reject those who awaken late, it is better than them not waking at all. If Linus fails to follow through, it would be right to excoriate him. But if he does follow through, it can only improve the community around one of the most important open source projects. And it will set an example for other projects to follow.

I spend a lot of time thinking about community, particularly since I joined Red Hat as the Fedora Program Manager a few months ago. Community members — especially those in a highly-visible role — have an obligation to model the kind of behavior the community needs. This sometimes means a patient explanation when an angry rant would feel better. It can be demanding and time-consuming work. But an open source project is more than just the code; it’s also the community. We make technology to serve the people, so if our communities are not healthy, we’re not doing our jobs.