Linus Torvalds: Vibe Coding is Acceptable for Beginners, Poor for Production
During an interview at the Linux Foundation Open Source Summit in Seoul, Linus Torvalds, the renowned Linux kernel maintainer, shared his thoughts on ‘vibe coding’ as a learning method for newcomers. He described it as a ‘fairly positive’ approach for individuals to experiment with computing, particularly for those who are new to the field. However, he strongly cautioned against using vibe coding for maintenance tasks in production environments, calling it a ‘horrible, horrible idea’ from that perspective.
Torvalds acknowledged that the complexity of modern computers has increased compared to the time he first learned to code, emphasizing that vibe coding offers a practical way for beginners to engage with computing. He noted that his role has evolved from primarily rejecting new ideas to occasionally advocating for them amidst resistance from long-standing maintainers who are ‘kind of stuck in a rut’.
In addition to his comments on coding practices, Torvalds highlighted the growing role of Rust in the Linux kernel. He noted that the language is becoming an integral part of the kernel, moving from an experimental stage to a more established component. Furthermore, he addressed the challenges posed by AI crawlers that gather data from the kernel’s source code. These crawlers, he explained, have been ‘very disruptive to a lot of our infrastructure’, leading to an influx of false bug reports and security notices that are often generated by individuals misusing AI. Although he acknowledged that the issue is less severe compared to other projects like curl, Torvalds emphasized that it remains a significant concern for kernel maintainers.