Visualizing Linux Kernel Contributor Networks in Java
Ella G. McDevitt, Esteban Parra · 2025
Modern software systems have grown increasingly complex, necessitating the collaborative efforts of diverse teams comprised of multiple developers. The combined efforts and collaboration of distributed teams create underlying networks within which these teams operate. This project presents a Java-based visualization tool that analyzes and depicts collaborative patterns within the Linux kernel development community. We extract contributor information from the Linux kernel repository to construct a network graph where nodes represent individual contributors and edges indicate shared contributions on the same commits. By showing which contributors tend to work together, the tool helps identify likely points of contact for bug triage, code maintenance, and understanding subsystem ownership. It also lays the groundwork for a deeper analysis of team structure and collaboration patterns.