Lunduke
News • Science & Tech
Number of Orphaned Linux Kernel Modules Doubles in 2 Years
Intel layoffs & Russian bans have contributed to a growing number of abandoned Linux Kernel Modules -- which now make up over 8% of all Linux modules.
August 09, 2025
post photo preview

Over the last few days, a number of Linux Kernel modules have officially become “Orphaned” — meaning they no longer have a maintainer to look after them in any way.

Image
 

This most recent surge in “Orphan” Linux Kernel modules is due to a round of fairly massive layoffs happening at Intel, with the company reducing total staff by tens of thousands before the end of this year.

And, of course, among those being laid off are multiple programmers who were paid maintainers of Linux Kernel modules. Things like the Intel CPU temperature drivers, Slim Bootloader, and the Time of Day clock. All are now “Orphan” modules, with more expected over the coming months.

This isn’t the first event which has caused a surge in Orphan modules.

In October of 2024, a wave of Russian programmers (and programmers suspected of working with Russian companies) were banned from contributing to the Linux kernel. This was in response to President Biden’s Executive Order 14071, which forbade Russians from working with or using GPL'd software made in the USA.

Which, naturally, included the Linux Kernel.

How Many Orphans Are There?

All of which begs the question… exactly how many Linux Kernel Modules now have no maintainer at all?

Figuring that out is a pretty trivial task. Linux Kernel Modules with maintainers (or which had maintainers) are listed in the Linux “MAINTAINERS” file.

And, as of August 8th, 2025, there were 138 Kernel Modules specifically listed as having a Status of “Orphan”.

But that only tells us part of the story. What we really need to know is how fast the number of Orphan Modules is growing… and what percentage, of all modules, are not maintained.

Turns out, both numbers are… not great.

 

Over the last 2 years — between August of 2023 and August of 2025 — the number of “Orphan” modules in the Linux kernel grew from 75 to 138.

They nearly doubled.

Now let’s look at the percentage of Orphaned Modules.

Since we know that there are roughly 2,496 Modules which have an active maintainer (give or take, based on a quick look at the MAINTAINERS file) that means that a little over 5% of all Linux Kernel modules… are orphans.

 

Though that doesn’t tell the whole story.

There is also another category of Kernel Module where the status is listed as “Odd Fixes”. Meaning “It has a maintainer but they don’t have time to do much.”

If we consider those modules as also “Not Maintained” (along with the “Orphan” Modules), the total percentage of un-maintained Kernel Modules grows to 8.6%.

 

The Future of Linux is Unmaintained

Considering the upcoming layoffs at Intel — whose employees are the current maintainers of well over 200 different modules — the possibility of “Not Maintained” Linux Kernel Modules hitting over 10% isn’t a far fetched idea.

And we’re not talking about seldom used hardware drivers here. We’re talking about things like “temperature sensors” and “time of day” (and all manner of critical hardware support like ACPI and Ethernet drivers).

While it’s reasonable to assume that some of the most critical Kernel Modules will get new (often volunteer) maintainers — thus saving them from becoming true “Orphans” — many will fall into an abandoned state. As has been the case over the last few years.

What result that will have on the Linux kernel — and the broader Linux ecosystem — remains to be seen. But we’ll find out soon enough.

community logo
Join the Lunduke Community
To read more articles like this, sign up and join my community today
4
What else you may like…
Videos
Podcasts
Posts
Articles
GNOME Foundation Executive Director Out After 4 Months

His 4 month reign highlighted by GNOME attacks on Jews and visually impaired users, an expanded "Pride Month", pledging fealty to the UN, and defense of a registered sex offender.

The Article:
https://lunduke.substack.com/p/gnome-foundation-executive-director

More from The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.com/

00:25:19
4Chan and Kiwi Farms File Lawsuit Against UK

It is both an important legal case... and a brilliant trolling of the British government.

The article:
https://lunduke.substack.com/p/4chan-and-kiwi-farms-file-lawsuit

More from The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.com/

00:21:00
Microsoft Fires "Intifada" Employees

This last week, a group of anti-Jewish Microsoft employees got rowdy. Microsoft fired some of them and sent The Lunduke Journal a statement. Then held a media briefing. Let's watch it together.

More from The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.com/

00:27:39
November 22, 2023
The futility of Ad-Blockers

Ads are filling the entirety of the Web -- websites, podcasts, YouTube videos, etc. -- at an increasing rate. Prices for those ad placements are plummeting. Consumers are desperate to use ad-blockers to make the web palatable. Google (and others) are desperate to break and block ad-blockers. All of which results in... more ads and lower pay for creators.

It's a fascinatingly annoying cycle. And there's only one viable way out of it.

Looking for the Podcast RSS feed or other links? Check here:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4619051/lunduke-journal-link-central-tm

Give the gift of The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4898317/give-the-gift-of-the-lunduke-journal

The futility of Ad-Blockers
November 21, 2023
openSUSE says "No Lunduke allowed!"

Those in power with openSUSE make it clear they will not allow me anywhere near anything related to the openSUSE project. Ever. For any reason.

Well, that settles that, then! Guess I won't be contributing to openSUSE! 🤣

Looking for the Podcast RSS feed or other links?
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4619051/lunduke-journal-link-central-tm

Give the gift of The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4898317/give-the-gift-of-the-lunduke-journal

openSUSE says "No Lunduke allowed!"
September 13, 2023
"Andreas Kling creator of Serenity OS & Ladybird Web Browser" - Lunduke’s Big Tech Show - September 13th, 2023 - Ep 044

This episode is free for all to enjoy and share.

Be sure to subscribe here at Lunduke.Locals.com to get all shows & articles (including interviews with other amazing nerds).

"Andreas Kling creator of Serenity OS & Ladybird Web Browser" - Lunduke’s Big Tech Show - September 13th, 2023 - Ep 044

I have Mint 22.1 using xlibre on a X230. It is running VERY well and seems noticeably smoother than the previous X11 it was using.

post photo preview
post photo preview
post photo preview
Reminder: 50% off Lunduke Journal Subs ends this weekend

This is a quick reminder that subscriptions to The Lunduke Journal are 50% off for the entire month of August. Which ends… this weekend. August is almost over!

Monthly, Yearly, & Lifetime Subscriptions. All 50% off.

Because of subscribers (like you), The Lunduke Journal can stay:

You make this possible. Support from all of you is critical to keeping The Lunduke Journal doing what it does best.

Scroll down. Pick the subscription that works best for you. And feel good knowing you made truly independent Tech Journalism possible.

50% Off Yearly or Monthly Subscription:

Available via both Locals and Substack. (This includes full access the community Forum.)

That means $3 / Month. Or $27 / Year (which works out to $2.25 / Month).

Via Lunduke.Locals.com:

Via Lunduke.Substack.com:

Note: You can also grab a Monthly subscription via X, YouTube, or Patreon. There’s no way to offer a discount on those platforms. But those are still great options!

The Famous Lifetime Subscription:

The "World Famous Lunduke Journal Lifetime Subscription" is exactly what it sounds like. Pay once and get full access to The Lunduke Journal. For life.

Now, through the end of August… you can snag one at a crazy discount. Normally these are $200… but you can grab one for $100. (You can also pay more if you’d like to donate a little extra.)

The Lifetime Subscription can be obtained via Locals, Substack, or using Bitcoin. All three options work great and are super easy (& all three include access to the community Forum). Scroll down and choose your option.

Note: The Lifetime Subscription only applies to Substack and Locals. Other platforms (such as X, Patreon, & YouTube) do not provide the functionality necessary to create Lifetime Subscriptions.

How to get a Lifetime Subscription via Locals:

  1. Go to Lunduke.Locals.com/support.

  2. Select "Give Once".

  3. Enter "100" (or more) into the amount field.

  4. After checking out, Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status. (This usually happens within a few hours.)

How to get a Lifetime Subscription via Substack:

  1. Go to Lunduke.Substack.com/subscribe.

  2. Select the “Lifetime Subscription” option.

  3. After checking out, Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status. (This usually happens within a few hours.)

If you would also like full, Lifetime access to Lunduke.Locals.com (which is included):

  1. Make a free account on Lunduke.Locals.com.

  2. Email “bryan at lunduke.com” with the email address you use on both Substack and Locals (can be different email addresses).

  3. Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status on Locals.

How to get a Lifetime Subscription with Bitcoin:

You can also obtain a Lifetime Subscription via Bitcoin.

bc1qyjakve8fywm8pz2v99v57yhjj0vzr2vjze6fcq

  • Email "bryan at lunduke.com" with the following information: What time you made the transaction, how much was sent (in Bitcoin), and the email address you use (or plan to use) on Locals.com or Substack.com (or both).

50% Off DRM-Free, MP4 Downloads:

Want to be able to download every show The Lunduke Journal releases (and watch them on whatever device you like)? As DRM free, MP4 files? Yeah. You can do that. For 50% off.

Note: This DRM-Free download option does not include access to the Forum. This option is strictly for downloading the episodes.

 

Choose the type of subscription that works best for you. Every subscription — big or small — goes directly towards keeping the lights on at The Lunduke Journal.

A huge thank you to all of the subscribers who have made this work possibly for so many years. You are truly the best nerds on planet Earth.

-Lunduke

Read full Article
post photo preview
GNOME Foundation Executive Director Out After 4 Months
His 4 month reign highlighted by GNOME attacks on Jews and visually impaired users, an expanded "Pride Month", pledging fealty to the UN, and defense of a registered sex offender.

As of today, the GNOME Foundation has lost yet another Executive Director — Steven Deobald, who lasted a short 4 months.

The previous executive director, Holly Million, lasted a grand total of 9 months in the role.

To say things have been chaotic within the GNOME Foundation, would be a wild understatement — with last year seeing GNOME elections overturned in secret meetings and massive cashflow issues.

The last 4 months, since the new Executive Director took the position, hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing. Here’s a quick timeline of just some of the strange activity since then.

And now today, August 29th, their new Executive Director is out. After only 4 months on the job. Did any of those events contribute to the departure? GNOME isn’t saying.

In fact, the statement from Allan Day, the new Acting GNOME Executive Director, is incredibly vague regarding the reason for the change.

“Steven Deobald has been in the post of GNOME Foundation Executive Director for the past four months, during which time he has made major contributions to both the Foundation and the wider GNOME project. Sadly, Steven will be leaving the Foundation this week. The Foundation Board is extremely grateful to Steven and wish him the very best for his future endeavors.”

According to the outgoing Executive Directors own statement — entitled “So short, and thanks for all the flinch”:

“As the board announced earlier today, I will be stepping down from the Executive Director role this week. It’s been an interesting four months.”

That reads to me like a firing (or a forced layoff due to lack of funds). But, unless someone speaks up, it’s unlikely we’ll know for sure.

The following was posted by Deobald (outgoing Executive) and Allan Day (new acting Executive) on the GNOME Foundation’s Matrix chat channel.

 

The statement, “I feel like I’ve been glued to an Emacs buffer for 3 straight days” suggests 3 days of discussions (or waiting) leading up to this change.

What will happen next for the GNOME Foundation?

With multiple years of absolute chaos — including financial troubles and an inability to have leadership last more than a few months (not to mention an obsession with attacking The Lunduke Journal) — it’s hard to imagine the next few months being anything other than a continuation of the insanity at GNOME.

Read full Article
post photo preview
Funny Programming Pictures Part LXX
Skynet's 28th Birthday Edition

What follows are pictures. With words on them. About computer-y things.

Carefully Ctrl-C’d & Ctrl-V’d for your enjoyment.

You’re welcome.

 
Image
 
Image
 
 
 
 
CDN media
 
CDN media
 
Image
 
CDN media
 
 
Image
 
Image
 
Read full Article
See More
Available on mobile and TV devices
google store google store app store app store
google store google store app tv store app tv store amazon store amazon store roku store roku store
Powered by Locals