My point was that maybe the Linux development process isn't a good match for niche areas like this. With NetBSD+pkgsrc, I can (and have done) just commit fixes

My point was that maybe the Linux development process isn't a good match for niche areas like this. With NetBSD+pkgsrc, I can (and have done) just commit fixes to the kernel and userland AppleTalk code directly without needing to go through gatekeepers who may not have used this feature. The blog author might want to look at a recent pkgsrc patch to netatalk 2.2 that makes it work with current CUPS.