What's weird about most of these discussions is how they're always seen as technical considerations distinct from the individuals who actually use the system.

What's weird about most of these discussions is how they're always seen as technical considerations distinct from the individuals who actually use the system. The kernel needs a highly-distributed workflow because it's a huge organization of loosely-coupled sub-organizations. Most commercial software is developed by a relatively small group of highly-cohesive individuals. The forces that make a solution work well in one environment don't necessarily apply elsewhere.