The Linux kernel is structured in a tree-like hierarchy such that most neophytes will likely never directly encounter Linus, but be chewed off by a subsystem ma

The Linux kernel is structured in a tree-like hierarchy such that most neophytes will likely never directly encounter Linus, but be chewed off by a subsystem maintainer long before that. In contrast, Theo is just another hacker who also happens to be project leader, compared to the more "ivory tower" approach of Linus.