i know... i know... this isn't what someone should ask, but i would really appreciate some tips or any resources outside official docs and source code? Or those are enough?
Learn tooling, especially QEMU (vms are a must for kernel dev).
And find specific little projects that inspire you, "kernel dev" is a huge topic. Like a funny /proc entry, a netfilter hook, or a tiny filesystem. A concrete project will give you a clear path forward to research and experiment.
Thanks! When the question formed in my head I kinda remembered a video I watched a few days ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krWLtVW4P_Y and the first ~20 seconds of it. But of course I don't actually mean it that seriously.
Official documents and source code are a big part of what defines the kernel development community. To the degree they are a barrier to entry, they are serving an important secondary purpose.
And find specific little projects that inspire you, "kernel dev" is a huge topic. Like a funny /proc entry, a netfilter hook, or a tiny filesystem. A concrete project will give you a clear path forward to research and experiment.
Start here: https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/v4.16/process/howto.html
Official documents and source code are a big part of what defines the kernel development community. To the degree they are a barrier to entry, they are serving an important secondary purpose.
Good luck.