Oregon software developer Linus Torvalds, creator of the Linux computer operating system, issued an apology Sunday for caustic online behavior and said he would take some time away to improve his conduct.
Torvalds, who casts himself as a benevolent dictator overseeing Linux advancement, has frequently excoriated other developers online when he considered their work or perspectives substandard. Amid heightened awareness of cyberbullying and gender disparities in tech, Torvalds has faced growing criticism for his tone online.
After the annual Linux Maintainer Summit moved to Scotland to accommodate Torvalds' vacation schedule, Torvalds said he had a "'look yourself in the mirror' moment." In a regular email to the developer community on Linux updates, he said he realized he had "been ignoring some fairly deep-seated feelings in the community."
"I am not an emotionally empathetic kind of person and that probably doesn't come as a big surprise to anybody. Least of all me," wrote Torvalds, 48. "The fact that I then misread people and don't realize (for years) how badly I've judged a situation and contributed to an unprofessional environment is not good."
Invisible to most computer users, the Linux operating system is widely used in computer networking and other applications and is an key underpinning of many online technologies. Developers work constantly to add features and capabilities, communicating by email and in online discussion groups where disputes sometimes get heated.
Originally from Finland, Torvalds moved to the Portland area in 2004. He wrote Sunday, "My flippant attacks in emails have been both unprofessional and uncalled for. Especially at times when I made it personal." He said his conduct made sense to him as a way to pursue better updates to the Linux kernel but that he now realizes he had handled it badly.
"I know now this was not OK and I am truly sorry," Torvalds wrote.
"I need to change some of my behavior, and I want to apologize to the people that my personal behavior hurt and possibly drove away from kernel development entirely," he continued. "I am going to take time off and get some assistance on how to understand people's emotions and respond appropriately."
Online reactions to Torvalds' apology were mixed, with some crediting him for attempting to correct his behavior and others lamenting that Torvalds' history of acidic remarks had poisoned the atmosphere in the open source community.
-- Mike Rogoway | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699