Why Linus Torvalds Declares the Inode Era Over in Linux 6.8‑rc2

Linux Kernel Inode Debate Resurfaces in 6.8‑rc2

Linus Torvalds recently posted a strongly worded message on the Linux kernel mailing list, sharply criticizing a Google contributor’s suggestion regarding file‑system inode handling. The discussion centers on the inode, which Red Hat describes as “the unique identifier for specific metadata on a given file system.”

Over the past weeks, the inode issue has sparked heated exchanges between Google kernel contributor Steven Rostedt and Torvalds. In a thread titled “Make all files and directories share the same inode number,” some argued that inode numbers still matter when archiving files with tar. Torvalds retorted that the era of inode numbers is over.

He wrote: “Yes, inode numbers were once important and have a history, but we should do our best to move away from that flawed legacy. Inode numbers are no longer a unique descriptor. We no longer live in the 1970s; file systems have changed.”

Despite Torvalds’ stance, the debate continues, and Rostedt eventually suggested that every inode should have a unique numeric identifier.

Torvalds’ tone in this reply is unusually harsh. He reminded developers not to over‑complicate things and then escalated his criticism: “Damn, stop copying VFS layer functions! The last time was a bad idea, this time is an even worse idea. I will not accept this garbage code.” He accused the Google developer of not fully understanding the underlying topic, a point later acknowledged by Rostedt.

Torvalds also launched a verbal “attack,” stating: “You copied the function without understanding why it does what it does, so your code is pure garbage.” He reiterated this point before the discussion cooled down.

Later, Torvalds explained that he does not intend to address the issue immediately because he has already spent enough time on it and is lagging on other responsibilities.

Rostedt responded with a conciliatory message, thanking Torvalds for his time and promising to reconsider his implementation to improve code quality and kernel stability.

On Sunday, Torvalds announced the official release of Linux kernel 6.8‑rc2, noting a regression in the amdgpu driver that could cause desktop hangs and mentioning that a previously encountered Btrfs bug was caught before rc1.

He expressed hope that rc2 marks a more stable phase of the release cycle, with critical issues already resolved, and encouraged developers and testers to intensively test the new version. He emphasized that thorough testing not only improves kernel quality but also drives the open‑source ecosystem forward.