The Linux kernel is the biggest collaborative software project on the planet, but sometimes it might be difficult for people to understand that. The Linux Foundation has released its annual development report and we can get a glimpse of just how much work is being done.

It's hard to imagine sometimes what it takes to develop the Linux kernel. We are so used to see new versions released all the time and to update it on our systems on a regular basis, that we forget it's actually a huge project which involves thousands of developers from all over the world. And, to make things even more interesting, it's getting bigger each year.

The Linux kernel started with just one man, Linus Torvalds, but now more than 4000 developers are working to provide patches, updates, and all the necessary components that make up the project, and that is the number for last year. It seems a lot right now, but the Linux development is still growing at a steady pace and it will probably be a lot bigger in the next few years.

This is a good time to become a Linux kernel developer

Many people have the wrong idea about Linux kernel developers. Some might think that they are just guys and gals from all over the world working on the kernel, for free, but that's not the case. In fact, 80% of the kernel development is done by developers hired by other companies, who choose to invest time and money into this enterprise. The result is the Linux kernel, a piece of software that can be freely adopted by anyone.

"This is the sixth such report that is released on a roughly annual basis to help illustrate the Linux kernel development process and the work that defines the largest collaborative project in the history of computing. This year’s paper covers work completed through Linux kernel 3.18, with an emphasis on releases 3.11 to 3.18. The last report was released September 2013 and focused on 3.3 to 3.10," reads The Linux Foundation report.

The Linux Foundation also reveals that Intel, Red Hat, Linaro, Samsung, IBM, SUSE, Texas Instruments, Vision Engraving Systems, Google, and Renesas are the biggest contributors to the Linux kernel.

Also, it seems like big companies such as the ones mentioned above are now aggressively looking for people who can do kernel development, so this is probably a good time to think about polishing those programming skills. Users can download the "Who Writes Linux" report and find out some other interesting details about the Linux kernel and the people behind it.