Today's Linux kernel and the ones from the early FOSDEM days still have some things in common, but in the end are totally different beasts. This talk will take a closer look at how the Linux kernel and its development during those twenty years evolved and adapted to new expectations.

The talk will thus mention some of the changes to the Linux kernel that had the most impact in those two decades; many might have seemed small or insignificant in the beginning, but turned out to pave the path for ground breaking techniques like Android, Cloud or Containers we all deal with today. The speaker will also take a closer look at how Linux kernel development itself changed during those twenty years, but also cover aspects that didn't change much – like the email driver development model, which in the days of Github and Gitlab might look anarchic and from the Middle Ages to some. The speaker also will step on thin ice and speculate a few minutes what the future might hold, as there are a few strong indicators that Linux is entering a new era and slowly but steady get more aspects of a microkernel.