Bonum Certa Men Certa

'Journalism' in 2020: Far More Articles About What Computer Linus Torvalds Bought Than About Linux Releases

Journalista non grata and ad hominem (missing the true story to just sell ads and cause unnecessary drama), nothing about the technical project

Torvalds article in Techradar



Torvalds article in Phoronix



Torvalds article in BetaNews



Torvalds article in Slashdot



Torvalds article in The Register



Summary: Yesterday's (or late Sunday's) Linux announcement (RC7) is symptomatic of a broader issue we've long spoken about; it restricts people's ability to express an opinion, which can cloud any meritorious and substantial debate about technical matters journalists cannot grasp or comment on (it takes more effort and research)

BY MY count, having observed the news closely for about 17 years, the level of news coverage speaks for itself. Yesterday and today (assuming it is still Monday) was no exception.



Not a single news site covered the seventh RC of Linux 5.7, but there were several discussions, articles, massive comment threads etc. focusing on some rather minor detail about Torvalds getting a new PC with a different processor on the motherboard.

"This is what we've come to expect from an increasingly shallow society that doesn't like the F word (freedom) or any serious technical discussion (instead it's about brands and "apps")."In an interview dated about a decade ago Torvalds frankly and candidly complained about the media taking something small he said, then making massive story out of it, just like we're seeing him portrayed as "rude", with massive phony scandals spiraling out of control because of the tone of some E-mail message he sent in a rush (maybe not paying sufficiently close/careful attention to loss of communication nuance in writing; maybe just a little moody at that moment) instead of technical details. Linux is a technical project, but the media is reduced to little but an extension of the marketing industry, where so-called 'journalists' tend to lack the technical knowledge required to grasp programming, kernel science etc. So it becomes about personalities and brands (like "AMD"). For those who wish to see all the articles we've found (and will find; the page is updated regularly), have a look here (similar to what we have in Daily Links but restricted to one theme/topic).

If the technology sector suffers from bad "tech press", perhaps it's stuff like this...

LWN, to its credit, still does very good technical journalism. Of course it wrote about the release of the software (Linux 5.7 RC7) and did not obsess over 'gossip'. The standards are higher in LWN.

In a similar vein, Dr. Stallman (RMS) can deliver a good 2-hour talk about the importance of software freedom and then someone will wind up obsessing over something like his beard. This is what we've come to expect from an increasingly shallow society that doesn't like the F word (freedom) or any serious technical discussion (instead it's about brands and "apps"). ⬆

Recent Techrights' Posts

Microsoft Shutdowns in Africa, Mass Layoffs Also Reported This Week
further shutdowns
Links 13/10/2026: More Plagiarism Lawsuit Over Slop and AirAsia Needs State Help
Links for the day
Intercontinental Brigading - Part II - An Outline of This Series
What's to come
When Computers "Expire" Because Certificates Expire
People who promote Restricted Boot are liars. They lie for a living.
 
Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Besieged by Blind Justice UK, Politicians Increasingly Involved
"Today we have written to Members of both Houses of Parliament"
Vance Has Helped Microsoft Implement Secret, Silent Layoffs
Nothing excites Microsoft more than means by which to discard many employees without an obligation to tell shareholders about it
To The Register MS, Microsoft is the Only Brand That's at the Main Menu!
Consider that the Editor of The Register MS is a longtime faithful Microsofter
Microsoft's Collapse Will Continue, It's Drowning in Debt Now
Expect many more mass layoffs
Legal Self-Sufficiency
The more impact our work has, the more legal bullying will come our way
Plans for Winter in Manchester and London
From many perspectives, we're satisfied with the certainty and robustness of UK hosting, it's just that we're not yet robust/resistant enough to DDoS attacks
Customer Support Experience in 2026
Because the customer is never right
Gemini Links 13/10/2026: Dopamine Nation, Planner and Fatigue, and Moderators
Links for the day
Links 13/10/2026: Norway Fines Microsoft and Cops Can Creep on Airbnb
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, October 12, 2026
IRC logs for Monday, October 12, 2026
Gemini Links 13/10/2026: Modern Science, Joplin, Luddites, and Lots More
Links for the day
Mass Layoffs at Microsoft Again (October 2026), So-Called 'AI' Units Impacted Because Slop ('AI') Has No Real Future
So much for the future of Microsoft being "hey hi" (AI)
European Readers, Please Contact Representatives (in One's Nation) Attending the Administrative Council Meeting
Normalising cocaine in in Europe's largest institutions (the people running these) is a slippery slope
Network Plumbing
We hope it'll help speed things up
For Half a Year the European Patent Office (EPO), Europe's Second-Largest Institution, Has Had Water Problems in the Toilets
And it's not being fixed
Intercontinental Brigading - Part I - The Failed Attempt to 'Swat' Our Series About the Attacks and Crimes Committed Against Us
This coincided with threats to our lives
Links 12/10/2026: Strike on Riyadh and GOP Pays Voters ("Surprise $90 Social Security Payments")
Links for the day
Microsoft's XBox CEO Spoke of a "Return to Growth" Last Week, But XBox Sales Lowest in XBox History (Quarter of a Century)
Microsoft's XBox is dying. It's a countdown to nothingness.
Links 12/10/2026: Shopify (Slop Booster) Has Security Issues, "Russia’s Yandex Says Data Center in Vladimir Shut Down After Drone Attack"
Links for the day
"My Hands Are Shaking While Writing" About IBM's Mass Layoffs at Red Hat (Bluewashing)
Shame, shame, shame on the corporate media for not covering Red Hat's layoffs this year
Taking a Look at the Last Articles of Bob Cringely at Forbes, They Were All About IBM and Its Collapse
It's all about IBM
Microsoft Windows Causes Problems (and Delays) to LibreOffice and The Document Foundation
Nothing would please Microsoft more than Windows curtailing the development of LibreOffice and adoption of ODF
So Far This Year Microsoft Windows Lost a Lot of Ground in China, GNU/Linux Gaining at Its Expense
GNU/Linux will soon exceed 10%
Lessons of Margaret Hamilton (Software Engineer)
Stop abetting men who attack women in the sciences
RIP, Bob Cringely
He was too young to leave us, his articles were still brilliant and his mind as lucid as ever
What is "Computer Science"? It is What Broligarchs Reject.
Nowadays some people call themselves informal terms or made-up titles (with terms like "AI" or "big data" or "data" tossed into the mix)
Linus Torvalds Has a Conflict of Interest Regarding Slop
Linus Torvalds is paid by the slop pushers
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, October 11, 2026
IRC logs for Sunday, October 11, 2026
Africa Sees GNU/Linux Exceeding 5% "Market Share"
It wasn't always like this. It used to be measured at 1 or 2 percent.
Brigading Against Women - Part XXVII - Americans and Public Executions
"People who work for Facebook / Xitter / Bytedance's Tiktok / Microsoft / Oracle / IBM / Apple / Uber / Lyft / Wolt / DoorDash / AirBnB / Bolt / and so on are doing some world-class projection when they have the audacity to call others Bad People(tm)"
Gemini Links 12/10/2026: Westminster Quarters, Civilization, Luddites, and More
Links for the day
Slop-ware Is Not Newsworthy
LLMs are exceptionally loquacious and create large code bases
Links 11/10/2026: US Sides With Vladimir Putin, Convicted Felon Dubbed "Agent of a Foreign Power"
Links for the day
IRC Tracker Back in Order, Number of Known IRC Networks Continues to Increase
We don't know if our article helped trigger a resolution
Links 11/10/2026: "Execution TV" (Iran Aped by US) and ‘Digital Oblivion’ Caused by Slop Frenzy Online
Links for the day
Voice for the Impoverished
the country's leaders attack the country's own press
Gemini Links 11/10/2026: Adults Dressing Up as Animals, 44th Birthday, and More
Links for the day
Running a Country's Economy by Borrowing Over $400,000,000,000 Per Month
This is the hallmark of an economy in irreversible decline
Brigading Against Women - Part XXVI - Trying to Deplatform Critics of Microsoft's Restricted Boot
Like James Bottomley, Matthew Garrett served Microsoft's agenda while employed and salaried by other companies
Anderon Is Not a Real Company, It's an IBM Bailout Dressed Up or Wrapped Up In Buzzwords
It certainly does seem like they receive money from taxpayers for nothing, or for IBM to do mass layoffs/closure at Albany under the guise of "making a new spinoff"...
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, October 10, 2026
IRC logs for Saturday, October 10, 2026