LKML5Ws: The What, When, Who, Where, and Why in the Linux Kernel Mailing Lists - A Columnar Dataset

The Linux kernel uses mailing lists as the primary medium for all development, bug reporting, and pivotal discussions regarding the project's future, a practice also observed in other large and long-lived Free Software projects. However, as a consequence of the decentralized development model used for the Linux kernel, these emails are spread across hundreds of mailing lists, each with different communities and maintenance models. We present the LKML5Ws dataset and our MailingListsHeritage tool, developed to create and maintain mailing list archives. With almost 30 million emails from 350 different mailing lists, our massive relational dataset provides a comprehensive overview of the last 30 years of Linux kernel development. Beyond shedding light on the awe-inspiring number of patches, discussions, and contributors involved in the project, our dataset provides a foundation for those interested in studying the intricate, knowledge-rich nature of Linux kernel development.

The dataset details available in the README.md file.