Why Linus Torvalds doesn't use Ubuntu or Debian

Overview

The video discusses why Linus Torvalds reportedly doesn’t use Debian or Ubuntu, referencing a 2007 interview where he said he had never used Debian because he found it difficult to install.

Installation Issues (Reported Reason)

• The speaker notes that while the installer might boot, it can fail to complete installation on some machines.
• An example mentioned is a MacBook Air.
• The speaker later identified the underlying issue, but describes it as “too late” to affect that particular attempt.

Improvements Over Time

• The speaker contrasts this experience with later attempts:
  • At one point, they describe Debian installation becoming “super easy” and highly recommended.
• This suggests Debian’s installer experience may have improved over time.

The Practical/Operational Reason for Not Switching

Even if installation has improved, the core reason given for not switching distros is practical:

• The speaker says they are not good at maintaining machines, despite being comfortable with kernel work.
• They change their own systems regularly, but family machines are not upgraded often.
• They avoid running multiple different Linux distributions across family computers because switching would be painful and error-prone.
• Once they choose a distro, it becomes “sticky”:
  • Switching would require reconfiguring and re-setting up across kids’ machines and their wife’s machine, which they want to avoid.

Main Source

• Linus Torvalds: discussed reasons for not using Debian/Ubuntu.
• Delivered as relayed/quoted by the video narrator/interviewer.