Linux kernel development is a profound example of truly distributed software development, far beyond the typical git introduction. The kernel's MAINTAINERS file (19,000 lines) reveals hundreds of subsystems, each with dedicated mailing lists, git trees, maintainers, and tooling. Code flows through a complex graph of repositories — from domain-specific driver trees up through subsystem meta-trees to Linus' tree — using diverse tools including git, Mercurial, and Quilt. This complexity illustrates why adapting Linux's email-driven, multi-tree workflow to GitHub-style pull requests would be extremely challenging at scale.
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