'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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Quote of the day by former Nintendo President Satoru Iawata: 'It will require many years and months for the majority of video game purchases to become digital' — correctly predicting dominance of digital games today back in 2009

The way that consumers buy video games is changing, with Sony recently announcing that it would cease the production of new PlayStation game discs in January 2028 in a bid to push consumers towards more profitable digital purchases. It's a big shift for the $500+ billion dollar video