Linus Torvalds: Vibe Coding Suitable for Beginners, Not for Production
Linus Torvalds, the Linux kernel maintainer, endorsed ‘vibe coding’ as a method for newcomers to learn programming. During an interview at the Linux Foundation Open Source Summit in Seoul, Torvalds praised the approach as a way to ‘get computers to do things they otherwise could not.’ However, he emphasized that vibe coding is ‘a horrible, horrible idea from a maintenance standpoint’ for production code.
This method, which involves rapidly prototyping and experimenting with code without strict structure, is suitable for learning but not for long-term software development. Torvalds noted that modern systems are far more complex than when he first learned to code by typing programs from computer magazines. He also mentioned that his role has shifted from rejecting new ideas to advocating for them despite resistance from established maintainers. Additionally, he highlighted the growing integration of Rust into the Linux kernel, which is now becoming a more mainstream part of the project rather than an experimental endeavor.
Torvalds also raised concerns about AI crawlers disrupting kernel infrastructure by harvesting data from kernel.org, leading to an influx of false bug reports and security notices generated by misused AI tools. Despite these challenges, he remains ‘fairly positive’ about the potential of vibe coding to introduce more people to programming, provided they understand its limitations in professional settings.