Lead Asahi Linux Developer Quits Days After Leaving Kernel Maintainer Role

Hector Martin has resigned as the project lead of Asahi Linux, weeks after stepping down from his role as a Linux kernel maintainer for Apple ARM support. His departure from Asahi follows a contentious exchange with Linus Torvalds over development processes and social media advocacy. After quitting kernel maintenance earlier this month, the conflict escalated when Martin suggested that 'shaming on social media' might be necessary to effect change.

Torvalds sharply rejected this approach, stating that 'social media brigading just makes me not want to have anything at all to do with your approach' and suggested that Martin himself might be the problem. In his final resignation announcement from Asahi, Martin wrote: 'I no longer have any faith left in the kernel development process or community management approach.'

The dispute reflects deeper tensions in the Linux kernel community, particularly around the integration of Rust code. It follows the August departure of another key Rust for Linux maintainer, Wedson Almeida Filho from Microsoft. According to Sonatype's research, more than 300,000 open source projects have slowed or halted updates since 2020.

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