Core Viewpoint - The ongoing controversy surrounding Bcachefs, a file system recently accepted into the Linux kernel, highlights tensions between development practices and adherence to established protocols within the Linux community [1][3][5]. Group 1: Background of Bcachefs - Bcachefs was initiated by Kent Overstreet in 2015, aiming to combine the flexibility of Btrfs with the stability of ext4, featuring capabilities like copy-on-write, snapshots, compression, and checksumming [3]. - The project has been active as an external module for nearly a decade and was officially integrated into the Linux 6.7 kernel in early 2024 [3]. Group 2: Controversy and Development Practices - The recent dispute arose when Kent Overstreet submitted a new feature patch, journal_rewind, during the release candidate (RC) phase of Linux 6.16, which is against the established rule that only bug fixes are allowed at this stage [4][5]. - Linus Torvalds expressed strong discontent with this submission, emphasizing the importance of adhering to the merge window rules and labeling Bcachefs as an experimental file system [5][9]. Group 3: Arguments and Responses - Kent Overstreet defended his actions by arguing that user safety should take precedence over strict adherence to rules, highlighting the potential irreversible data loss that could occur if the file system fails [6]. - He pointed out that the journal_rewind patch was a small addition aimed at improving data recovery, and delaying its integration could significantly impact users [6]. Group 4: Community Reactions - The community has split into two camps: one supporting Linus Torvalds' adherence to process and the other backing Kent Overstreet's user-centric approach [10]. - Some developers criticized the rigid application of rules, suggesting that it could hinder the timely introduction of significant new features into the Linux kernel [11].