If there&#x27;s something that defines the Linux kernel development process is that large&#x2F;wide changes are never accepted in bulk. Changes must be broken up into independent pieces that make sense by themselves and can be well understood by the people doing the merges.<p>For example, if you want to introduce a new filesystem that requires VFS features not yet present, you submit those features first and make a case for their usefulness beyond your own use case. Then you submit your new filesystem adapted to use those features as they where (then already) merged.<p>Failing to go through this process results in failure to be accepted for inclusion in mainline. Sure, this makes some useful stuff linger by the wayside (usually due to ego clashes), but it&#x27;s the only way to maintain any sanity in a project as large and active as the Linux kernel and that&#x27;s a good thing in the long run.