How to prevent a Linux kernel fork through wider stakeholder participation

From Linuxtoday: “As the commercial market for Linux grows, vendors are coming under increasing
pressure to deliver a definite roadmap to their customers with features, milestones and deadlines.
Will the uneasy alliance between vendors and Free Software developers break down? Is there a
way to reconcile the demand for a scheduled roadmap with the Free Software development
philosophy that regards deadlines as undesirable?”