Linux Changelogs – Comparing package activity across Linux Distributions

Speaker: Ben Koenig

Room: HC 204

Time: Sat 4:00 pm – 4:30 pm

Format: Lecture (30 Min + Q&A)

Difficulty: Introductory

Track: Security / Privacy

Additional Tags: OSS Distributions, Sustainability & Funding, Education

Presenter Location: In-person

Experience: first time speaking

At: at lfnw

Description:

The Linux Changelog Project is an effort to present clear, comparable statistics about the development and maintenance activity of Linux distributions using publicly available changelog data. By creating a distro‑agnostic view of updates for a given project, the initiative reveals how the size, pace, and maintenance patterns of different distributions stack up against one another.

What began as a hobby coding project focused on Slackware has grown to include multiple distributions. This talk shares insights from that evolution and highlights the often‑unseen work that goes into keeping our favorite software projects alive and healthy.

Attendees will gain a deeper appreciation for the maintainers behind the scenes and learn how changelog analysis can illuminate the state of the Linux ecosystem.

Target Audience:

Package maintainers

General Linux users

Cybersecurity professionals