'I'm not a programmer' anymore: Linus Torvalds on the only two tools he uses now

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ZDNET's key takeaways

• Linus has no interest in supporting obsolete hardware or software.
• While Rust is important, it's no panacea for bad programming logic.
• Linux developers have adopted AI tools for maintenance work.

MUMBAI -- At Open Source Summit India 2026, Linux creator Linus Torvalds and his friend Dirk Hohndel discussed the current state of Linux and where it's headed.

Linux 7.1: Slow and steady, not splashy

The conversation opened with Hohndel asking about what Torvalds thought about the Linux 7.1 release. Torvalds said he doesn't think in terms of blockbuster releases: "For me, the highlight has been that it's been a very steady progression of continued improvements." He stressed that since they created the Git version control system, "We don't do releases that have big new splashy features, and I actually actively try to avoid that...

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