How Our Mainframe-Focused Working Group Solved Linux Distribution Maintainer Isolation - s390x Architecture

Discover how a collaborative working group addressed the isolation problem faced by maintainers of s390x (mainframe) ports in various Linux distributions. Learn about the formation of The Open Mainframe Project Linux Distributions Working Group in 2021, which brought together maintainers from openSUSE, Debian, Fedora, Rocky Linux, and other distributions. Gain insights into the s390x architecture and understand why collaboration was necessary for these maintainers. Explore the technical success stories that emerged from this working group, and see how it fostered a friendly, collaborative environment that broke down barriers and reduced isolation. This 40-minute talk by Elizabeth Joseph from IBM offers valuable lessons on the power of cross-distribution cooperation in solving niche maintenance challenges in the Linux ecosystem.