Linus Torvalds on Linux 7.1, AI in the kernel, and why he no longer calls himself a programmer
At Open Source Summit India 2026, Linus Torvalds and Dirk Hohndel discussed the state of Linux development. Torvalds emphasized steady, incremental progress over flashy releases for Linux 7.1. He shared that he no longer considers himself a programmer in the traditional sense, now primarily using only two tools: his email client for patch review and a text editor for writing commit messages. The conversation also covered the challenges of integrating AI into the kernel, the removal of support for obsolete 'museum' hardware, and the ongoing evolution of the Linux ecosystem.
Key quotes
For me, the highlight has been that it's been a very steady progression of continued improvements.
I'm not a programmer anymore — I just use email and a text editor.
We don't need to support museum technology forever.
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