Linus isn't quitting: Official

An email which appeared to be a letter of resignation from Linus Torvalds is a fake - according to the man himself.

The email, posted at the University of Helsinki's computer department's news group, claims to be from Torvalds and said the Linux creator has decided to hand over control of the kernel's development to someone else.

The email read: "Far too many of you like to whine and cry, saying 'My patches aren't being accepted by Linus, but they are by Alan or Michael!' It seems that some of you are too stupid to follow the simple instructions that I have made clear on more than one occasion.

"This, combined with the fact that today is my last day at Transmeta, has prompted me to consider rediscovering that balance I had in my life before you all took my hobby and made it into a mass movement. I have not decided who should take over maintenance of the kernel myself, for I believe that this decision should be made in a quasi-democratic fashion."

It then goes on to list the names of possible gurus ready to take over the kernel's development, including Richard Stallman and Alan Cox.

However, Linus Torvalds told silicon.com that the email, also posted at popular developers' site Slashdot.org, is an April Fools' joke.

He said: "If you look at the header on the email, it says posted Monday April 01 at midnight, which should be a clear giveaway," he said.

He would not speculate as to who was behind the prank.

The posting can be found here: http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/linux/linux-kernel/2002-13/0063.html

Did you spot the silicon.com April Fool story? If not, you can read it here:
http://www.silicon.com/a52305