Linus Torvalds says he is interested in kernels - not distributions

Why Linus Torvalds doesn’t use Ubuntu or Debian

There is an interview of Linus Torvalds on Youtube. Here is the transcript:

The questioner: I'll start with something non-controversial.

Linus: No, no. I'm fine with controversy. That's not usually my problem.

The questioner: It's well known around these parts that in 2007 you did an interview where you said that although you've used many Linux distributions, you had never used Debian because you found it difficult to install.

Linus: Yeah

The questioner: Have you tried it since?

Linus: No. That was quick. I'm sure it's gotten much easier to install. To me, a distribution is, I'm sorry, you may want to close your ears now, a distribution is not very interesting. I wanted it to be easy to install, so that I can just get on with my life, right, which is mostly the kernel. The closest I got to installing Debian was, there was one machine, I forget which one it was, it may have been the MacBook Air, that actually had trouble installing something, and Debian, the Installer would boot but then it didn't install there either. And eventually, I figured out what was the problem with that machine, but but by then, it was too late.

Another questioner: If there's a way to break installing an operating system, I've found it multiple times. And if there isn't one, you already know of I found it. And Debian, last time, super easy, highly recommended trying.

Linus: Maybe I should try. I mean one of the problems I have is I am NOT an MIS person. I mean, I may do kernels and people think that that means that I'm technical; But when it comes to actually maintaining machines, I am a complete disaster. And I changed my own machines regularly. So changing the the system I run on my machine would be easy. I end up upgrading machines a couple of times a year, usually. But I end up having also to maintain my family's machines. And that ends up being the one that I don't upgrade my family's machines very often. And I don't want to run my little multiple different distributions across different machines because I suck at MIS. So it ends up being, for me, a distribution is something very sticky. Once I started with one thing, I have a really hard time just doing something else, because, that means I have to switch over all my kids machines, my wife's machine, and that's just painful.
So that's why.

For some context: Linus tried to install Debian in 1999, which at the time was way harder to install than Arch Linux or even Gentoo nowadays.

Comments

1. I really appreciate how humble Linus is. Just goes to show that just because you’re great at some things, it doesn’t mean you’re automatically great at everything related to that. It’s not because you don’t have the intelligence to do it, but you simply lack the interest, motivation, or time required to become good at another thing. Most important reason is time, because time is so limited. You can only do so many things.
2. I really enjoy that he says he is not technical. A lot of people tend to associate any mastery in a branch of IT as having absolutely or professional knowledge in other areas. He knows the kernel space, probably almost better than anyone else, he doesn’t need to know distro’s or architectural level systems design. Similarly, an architect or an end user doesn’t need to know about the kernel space. He’s a master at what he does, and what he does, doesn’t involve the distro space.
3. I think he’s being humble (for once). Linus also wrote Git, which means he also knows a great deal about distributed development and distributed systems in general. On the linux side, he did a great deal to make Linux usable, not just write the kernel. That said the distributions took what he did and ran with it. It’s fair that he doesn’t know a great deal about them. I’d still say he’s very technical though.
4. I think the word “technical” is an atrocity, because all it does is it pushes completely unnecessary and unwarranted expectations upon people (well, just like any label). It’s just so ambiguous that you never know what someone might want from you if they somehow decide you’re “technical”
5. He is being humble. He is very technical, he would never have started Linux had he not been a technical problem solving minded person. He wrote code since his childhood and has a master’s degree in computer science from the NODES research group. He recently pushed code commits to the kernel which is something that he doesn’t really do much anymore, but illustrates that he is still a capable programmer because even if you spend time looking at kernel space stuff it is still very complex. I think him saying that he doesn’t want to spend time installing distros or w/e is just a polite way of saying: Listen, I don’t really care abt hobby Linux stuff, I just want to do kernel work. His critique of Debian was that it was obtuse and had issues with it’s installation, bugs and the like. Not that he couldn’t do it if he really wanted to. This has been fixed with Debian and other distros. Linus has no problems with Fedora’s installation and daily drives it.
6. Linus is smart enough to know that he doesn’t know things, which is a good thing to know.
7. Imagine being Linus Torvalds and every family keeps asking you to fix their computer because he’s the guy who created the OS that keeps the entire internet running.
8. Loved the ’not technical’ comment he made in this clip. Its infuriating when people try to label others as ’technical’ (primarily at work) just cos they happen to know something they can’t be bothered to learn themselves, then follow it with the assumption that said person must also know everything about all the other ‘computer related things’ that they cannot be bothered to learn themselves as well.
9. One of the things I admire the most about Torvalds is his brutal honesty. He admits, to himself and others his blind spots and doesn’t try to let on like a genius in all things. He focuses on the Kernel and isn’t fond of installing those other bits. Per his point, pretty much everything I’ve ever installed is a pain in the ass if it has any level of complexity whatsoever. I’ve been working with Linux for awhile now and I’m far from understanding the install process of apps but, getting better. I don’t believe my level of intelligence approaches Linus or any of the legends in our business. In fact I think of all the wins I had over the years my main quality is relentless dogged refusal to give up. Anyway, Linus has some very good points. He spends his time where he sees he can have the most effective results and without any higher purpose, what he enjoys the most.
10. He’s so brilliant and focused that he knows his limitations. Creating an OS isn’t the same as installing one. Just like designing an engine isn’t the same as installing one!
11. What people do not understand is the distribution scene is not Linus’s, it is a consequence of his work, but that means nothing for his knowledge or experience on that subject. I can tell here that he is trying to be careful not to reveal his ignorance on the subject, but really, he shouldn’t need to, that isn’t what he does.
12. He’s not trying to be careful he said it himself: he’s not technical although his definition of technical I’m sure is different from most lol. He wants a machine he can easily set up. Which is a great mindset to have for someone who’s in charge of the kernel we want to run on our machines. The elitists can keep installing [insert elitist distro name here] or whatever.
13. So refreshing to hear Linus’ admission of not being good at maintaining or MIS! So often I feel like I must learn EVERYTHING technical to steer my career towards the tech world. Very Impressed Linus Torvalds!!
14. It’s not whether it’s hard or not, he is creator of Kernel, it’s about whether it’s worth going through all that pain of installing and managing such distros. Time is money and he can use that time towards something more productive than redundent.
15. We don’t care about distros. As long as it works and especially doesn’t get in the way. An OS is just an OS. What’s most important is what you do with it, what work you do, not the os itself.