Welcome to 30 Linux Kernel Developer Workspaces in 30 Weeks! This is the first in a 30-week series that takes a new approach to the original series, 30 Linux Kernel Developers in 30 Weeks. This time we take a look inside developers’ workspaces to learn even more about what makes them tick and how to collaborate with some of the top talent in all of software. Each week will share a picture and/or a video of the workspaces that Linux kernel developers use to advance the greatest shared technology resource in history.
We start this year’s 30 in 30 series with Linux kernel stable maintainer and Linux Foundation fellow Greg Kroah-Hartman. Greg shares a video of his workspace, which is located in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, as well as more detail about some of the more interesting workspaces he’s used over the years.
It’s the first office I’ve ever worked in that has a window. My previous home office was in the basement of my house, which was great for getting lots of work done with no distractions, but I’ve found that sometimes it is nice to be able to see the birds and trees outside.
What do you like least?
I have a total lack of bookshelves, which forces me to keep things neater than I normally am. I’ll get some shelves eventually, which will then cause my collection of various hardware components to spread out taking up all available space.
What’s the oddest work space you’ve ever used?
The house my family and I were living in when I first got involved in Linux kernel development many years ago, was very small, with no room for any type of a desk or home office. So I took the hall closet, built a desk into it that provided enough room for a monitor and keyboard, with a workstation below it, and a cut-out for a chair to all fit with the door closed. To work there, the door had to be open, with the chair taking up the tiny hallway. I wrote my first Linux drivers in that hall closet, which eventually let me to getting a full-time job doing Linux kernel work in another town, so we had to sell the house and move.
