Linux

e> 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 unreviewed 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 book 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.