Linux

Linux users: switch from Windows to Linux to avoid ai slop

Linus, an out of touch idiot: Actually vibe coded slop in the OS is good!

I don't like LLMs for a number of reasons - the theft, the environmental impact, the deceptive marketing - and also because I am really pissed about the abysmal quality which my AI-pilled coworker produces.

But in difference to Windows and most commercial software, the Linux kernel project has high quality standards, and I have some faith they'll keep them.

Also, the cited mail discussion is not about AI generating code - which I still see as very questionable - but about checking code for bugs and deficiencies. Given the amount of CVEs found by LLMs, I see no way around that for important infrastrcture projects like the kernel.

Many people are not amused by the hype - me neither. But AI could unexpectedly help open source in a few ways:

• it will become clearer that quality matters. We alrrady see that with Windows - Linux is getting many new users.
• We might see a trend to source code rewriting and re-use instead of using libraries. Libraries are pervasively used now, and that has drawbacks like bloat and dependency hell.
• Copyright is rapidly losing importance. This is really bad for artists and authors. But for most (not all) programmers not, since copyright in software was mostly a tool to protect profits of corporations. Software development at its core is a service.
• Issues of autonomy and control are becoming more important than ever. The kernel is a pragmatic project, but it being free to use and modify is absolutely central - that's why it uses the GPL - and we are also seeing every day that Stallman was and is right more than anybody would desire.

Tell me you didn't read what he said without telling me you didn't read what he said