Linear workflow

I can't tell that I'm the grandmaster of this topic so rather to tell you the ultimate truth I just collect information about the topic.

http://greyscalegorilla.com/blog/tutorials/what-is-linear-workflow-and-how-can-it-help-your-renders-look-better/

http://www.seazo.no/linear-workflow

http://www.davidfleet.com/tutorials/linear-workflow

http://renderman.pixar.com/view/LinearWorkflow

http://www.blender.org/development/release-logs/blender-256-beta/color-management/

This cmivfx release is quite comprehensive:
http://cmivfx.com/store/332-Nuke+Color+Masterclass+Part+01
So it is not just about the linear workflow but colors. Explained within The Foundry Nuke framework.