README

Linux kernel
============

The Linux kernel is the core of any Linux operating system. It manages hardware,
system resources, and provides the fundamental services for all other software.

Quick Start
-----------

 Report a bug: See Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-issues.rst
 Get the latest kernel: https://kernel.org
 Build the kernel: See Documentation/admin-guide/quickly-build-trimmed-linux.rst
 Join the community: https://lore.kernel.org/

Essential Documentation
-----------------------

All users should be familiar with:

 Building requirements: Documentation/process/changes.rst
 Code of Conduct: Documentation/process/code-of-conduct.rst
 License: See COPYING

Documentation can be built with make htmldocs or viewed online at:
https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/


Who Are You?
============

Find your role below:

 New Kernel Developer: Getting started with kernel development
 Academic Researcher: Studying kernel internals and architecture
 Security Expert: Hardening and vulnerability analysis
 Backport/Maintenance Engineer: Maintaining stable kernels
 System Administrator: Configuring and troubleshooting
 Maintainer: Leading subsystems and reviewing patches
 Hardware Vendor: Writing drivers for new hardware
 Distribution Maintainer: Packaging kernels for distros
 AI Coding Assistant: LLMs and AI-powered development tools


For Specific Users
==================

New Kernel Developer
--------------------

Welcome! Start your kernel development journey here:

 Getting Started: Documentation/process/development-process.rst
 Your First Patch: Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst
 Coding Style: Documentation/process/coding-style.rst
 Build System: Documentation/kbuild/index.rst
 Development Tools: Documentation/dev-tools/index.rst
 Kernel Hacking Guide: Documentation/kernel-hacking/hacking.rst
 Core APIs: Documentation/core-api/index.rst

Academic Researcher
-------------------

Explore the kernel's architecture and internals:

 Researcher Guidelines: Documentation/process/researcher-guidelines.rst
 Memory Management: Documentation/mm/index.rst
 Scheduler: Documentation/scheduler/index.rst
 Networking Stack: Documentation/networking/index.rst
 Filesystems: Documentation/filesystems/index.rst
 RCU (Read-Copy Update): Documentation/RCU/index.rst
 Locking Primitives: Documentation/locking/index.rst
 Power Management: Documentation/power/index.rst

Security Expert
---------------

Security documentation and hardening guides:

 Security Documentation: Documentation/security/index.rst
 LSM Development: Documentation/security/lsm-development.rst
 Self Protection: Documentation/security/self-protection.rst
 Reporting Vulnerabilities: Documentation/process/security-bugs.rst
 CVE Procedures: Documentation/process/cve.rst
 Embargoed Hardware Issues: Documentation/process/embargoed-hardware-issues.rst
 Security Features: Documentation/userspace-api/seccomp_filter.rst

Backport/Maintenance Engineer
-----------------------------

Maintain and stab