this post was submitted on 22 Jun 2025
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Bill Gates and Linus Torvalds meet for the first time. (programming.dev)
submitted 1 day ago by Pro@programming.dev to c/technology@lemmy.world
43 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

I had the thrill of a lifetime, hosting dinner for Bill Gates, Linus Torvalds and David Cutler. Linus had never met Bill, and Dave had never met Linus. No major kernel decisions were made, but maybe next dinner πŸ˜‰

Source.

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[–] fluxion@lemmy.world 150 points 1 day ago (7 children)

One of the replies to the LinkedIn post:

Dave Cutler (Windows NT) and Linus Torvalds (Linux kernel creator) wouldn’t meet casually; they’re almost certainly plotting a next-gen AI-native operating system (AI OS). With Azure CTO Mark Russinovich in the mix, the effort looks Microsoft-centered and cloud-first.

Key ideas: β€œProcesses” become agents; Command line / GUI replaced by a natural-language interface; Hybrid Windows + Linux kernel layers, orchestrated on Azure for large-scale LLM and agent workloads

Bottom line: expect a Microsoft-led, AI-centric OS that re-imagines traditional operating-system architecture for the LLM era.

Talk about talking out of your ass.

[–] RobotZap10000@feddit.nl 45 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Talking out of your AIss*
Or just great satire, what's even the difference between that and reality these days?

[–] AGuyAcrossTheInternet@fedia.io 33 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I find comfort in satire because it's way less absurd.

[–] CrazyHorse@lemmy.cafe 14 points 1 day ago

Thoughts and sprayers to satire!

[–] EpicFailGuy@lemmy.world 16 points 1 day ago (2 children)
[–] raltoid@lemmy.world 0 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yes, it's obvious sarcasm. But reading comprehension has seriously gone to shit in the last decade or so.

[–] fluxion@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)

You've not been briefed on the current state of the world if this is obvious sarcasm to you.

[–] zqps@sh.itjust.works 13 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Just in case that putting processes in quotation marks as though they're some alien concept (unlike AI agents I guess) wasn't enough to convince you how deeply unserious this person is, they threw "azure-orchestrated kernel layers" in there.

I would pay actual money to hear Linus Torvalds react to that elevator pitch.

[–] praechaox@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

That LinkedIn comment you quoted feels really ChatGPT to me. Mostly because it smashes reasonable ideas together into some BS and then summarizes it's own response several times.

[–] fluxion@lemmy.world 3 points 19 hours ago

It was posted by the CEO of some random AI company so the distinction is probably nil

[–] rottingleaf@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Yes, this is bullshit.

While some sort of a redesign of part of Linux's internals I could imagine.

In terms of kernel ABI stability Linux is often criticized even in comparison to BSDs.

And in general its insides are more messy and "naturally grown", or so I've heard (OpenBSD is the only OS whose internals I've made myself familiar with sufficiently ; also put some effort for FreeBSD).

So my, eh, alternative opinion would be that something is brewing for Linux like what Digital Unix was for BSD Unix. A hybrid cleaned up kernel, maybe support for different ABIs (like what exists in FreeBSD for Linux and older versions of itself, except maybe more ambitious). Maybe even tackling a more open alternative to NT (itself alternative to VMS and David Cutler being the man who did that) while they're at it. NT is not a bad thing. Even Windows is not a bad thing. Maybe Wine isn't enough, or maybe it would be cool to have something possible to make compatible with many Windows device drivers.

At least I hope it's Linux learning to do EEE and not the other way around.

Though with Bill Gates and Dave Cutler this really seems like a meeting of legends and nothing more. They're cool people, but I don't think they want to play global thermonuclear computing war at that age, unlike just global thermonuclear war IRL, this one is more attractive for younger people. Even if it's about some project being born, I'd expect that to be "just for fun" for everyone involved, they deserve that after all.

[–] nieceandtows@programming.dev 2 points 1 day ago

Add long as it has nothing to do with Linux, I don't care

[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

They can call it GlossolaliaOS or something.

[–] glitch1985@lemmy.world 52 points 1 day ago

Someone's 3d printer making spaghetti in the background.

[–] MolecularCactus1324@lemmy.world 44 points 1 day ago (3 children)

That backdrop makes everyone look even grayer than they are

[–] RobotZap10000@feddit.nl 18 points 1 day ago

The awful lighting on this photo makes Linus look older than Bill!

[–] KurtVonnegut@mander.xyz 13 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Except for the guy on the left, who is clearly wearing a wig.

[–] elucubra@sopuli.xyz 1 points 1 day ago

Not just a wig, a cheapo Aliexpress wig. I had an employee who bought a quality hairpiece, and it was uncanny. He paid through the nose for it, but it was worth it for him, as he was quite bald in his 20's.

[–] peteyestee@feddit.org 8 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Haha I read that as gayer.

[–] Tim_Bisley@piefed.social 35 points 1 day ago (1 children)

That is wild they've never met.

[–] victorz@lemmy.world 41 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I imagine Linus never seeing a point to such a meeting.

[–] fernandofig@reddthat.com 14 points 1 day ago

Same. At this point I think he probably did it more to indulge those who wanted that to happen than actually wanting or caring about it.

[–] SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 1 day ago

I'd have expected then meeting by chance at a conference at some point

[–] treadful@lemmy.zip 24 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I like to imagine they were just side-eyeing each other the whole time.

[–] Lemminary@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago

And every movement arises suspicion. One of them jumped when the other reached for his phone in his pocket

[–] baggachipz@sh.itjust.works 23 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Bill been eating well

[–] EvacuateSoul@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

Tiny head though

[–] Bloomcole@lemmy.world -2 points 1 day ago

All that profitable 'philanthropism'

[–] atlien51@lemm.ee 14 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Holy shit bill gates be looking rough

[–] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I doubt he can still hurdle chairs.

[–] atlien51@lemm.ee 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Sauce? Never heard of this

[–] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago

I assume you are being facetious, but for anyone who is part of today's 10,000

Source

[–] aBundleOfFerrets@sh.itjust.works 13 points 1 day ago

Holy shit the comments on that have got to be the sloppiest slop I have ever seen.

[–] asudox@lemmy.asudox.dev 11 points 1 day ago

I didn't even recognize them until I read the title.

[–] BeatTakeshi@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago

Hide your MBR Linus!

[–] victorz@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Linus looking healthier than ever, dog. Good for him. Live your best life, baby.

[–] SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Lean, mean, diving machine.

[–] victorz@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Oh yeah, that's one of his interests, isn't it? He wrote some kind of software for that, if I remember correctly.

[–] YurkshireLad@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago

Dave Cutler, the legend of VMS and the NT kernel.

[–] nope@jlai.lu 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

This happened on 21 June 2025

[–] floquant@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 1 day ago

...that's two days ago?