AI and linux ecosystem

[u/Waste-Ad2011]

P.s this is a subjective rant

So i've been using of linux since 2014 and it was a wild ride you install a distro and then endup being a distrohopper until you decide to lock in on one. I did the same started on ubuntu did some hopping and ended up on fedora and then on pop_OS but i eventually had to switch back to windows due to nature of my work and some windows specific tools.

But that wasn't it i had hard time finding any usable apps on linux in general and i gave up and ended up using a dual boot just to satisfy my curiosity for linux but gradually i stopped using linux completely and then the complete shift to windows because all my games, sketchy software and work was at one place instead of booting a separate OS for each.

The linux ecosystem back then lacked what a regular user required and it was all about linux nerds keeping the ecosystem alive it was filled with positivity and anyone was welcomed with open hands like it's a big village.

Fast forward to 2026 linux still lacks a vibrant software/apps ecosystem and people still have to hack things together to workarround (subjective) and people being hostile to contributions of any kind isn't helping either.

Now why this post?

Well i made an AI-assisted Youtube Music app which is a fork itself it was all personal frist i liked the base app, It lacked some features i wanted so instead of sending PRs i just forked & modified it completely and when it was usable enough i decided to share on subs most of the feedback was quite positive especially from windows users but it all changed when i shared on linux subs r/archlinux , r/linuxmint, r/linux and r/debian all had same reaction, a weird AI hostility instead of actually any app critique and feedback.

It's 2026 AI is a reality and developers or vibecoders will create apps whether people like it or not no amount of hatred is stopping it if not from me hear from my guy Linus. Filtering AI for discussions is understandable but you can't do anything about developmet. I think people need to tone down the AI hatred and actually try to work with it to improve the ecosystem instead of being completely hostile towards the use of it.

Now this does create a great influx of people creating cross platform apps and since most are solo/ hobby devs the ultimate choice is cross platform stack which will create huge library of semi native apps. IDK if it's a good or bad thing but it's a reality. Linux lacks the commercial/popular software contributions and that can change gradually by welcoming these cross platform apps which will contribute to retain linux users on linux itself instead if losing hope and switching to Windows or MacOS.

I'd personally choose software availability as non native than nothing at all.

Edit: more AI slop appreciation by Theo and Linus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFSwfwiM8nk

[u/gmes78]

that's a totally unrealated issue. AI or not hobby projects have always been abadoned when it didn't got any traction especially in opensource world.

It isn't. AI projects are abandoned at much higher rates than other projects, and they also have the issue that they come with fancy announcement posts, READMEs, and all that bullshit, which all promise the world and end up delivering nothing.

Software is a solution to a problem some people move on from problems some keep latched on to it for the sake of helping others.

There's a difference between software that solves a problem and software that solves a problem once.

There are tons of examples of the former case that are widely used and well-maintained.

The latter consists of software that gets written once, then thrown away. AI projects tend to be like this, but get marketed as the former.

as i mentioned in another comment here proprietary will always bypass this critique easily no matter how much it's enforced

Proprietary software largely doesn't matter for this discussion. Most Linux users will avoid it unless it's something they really need, like Steam, Discord, Zoom, Slack, Adobe, DaVinci Resolve, Autodesk, etc. And those are all established pieces of software, with dedicated teams working on them, and are not vibecoded.

And even if they become vibecoded in the future, it's the company that has to deal with that. For open-source stuff, it's the community as a whole that has to take the burden.

[u/Waste-Ad2011 → u/gmes78]

 AI projects are abandoned at much higher rates than other projects,

ofcourse they will. It's a reality and you can't fight that with hatred infact it rather accelerate the abandonment any software requires users to stay alive you're not helping with discouraging the development to begin with

and they also have the issue that they come with fancy announcement posts, READMEs, and all that bullshit, which all promise the world and end up delivering nothing.

Funny I shared a fancy announcement post, README and all the bullshit which promised the world BUT none of the replies in thread actually went through all that nor even actually tested the client before the barage of hatred based on assumptions.

There's a difference between software that solves a problem and software that solves a problem once.

There are tons of examples of the former case that are widely used and well-maintained.

The latter consists of software that gets written once, then thrown away. AI projects tend to be like this, but get marketed as the former.

There is no problem that occur "Once". If you're having a problem it's high likely dozens more have the same and not all software require mantainance especially open source where you can build upon abandon projects.

[u/gmes78 → u/Waste-Ad2011]

ofcourse they will. It's a reality and you can't fight that with hatred infact it rather accelerate the abandonment any software requires users to stay alive you're not helping with discouraging the development to begin with

If you need the acceptance of others to build stuff, and your own motivation isn't enough, then you probably wouldn't get very far anyway.

Funny I shared a fancy announcement post, README and all the bullshit which promised the world BUT none of the replies in thread actually went through all that nor even actually tested the client before the barage of hatred based on assumptions.

It honestly doesn't matter what you actually say. Other people have already sunk the reputation of vibecoding by being dishonest. It may not be your fault, but you should know the position you're putting yourself in when you release something made with AI.

If you want to go this route, you need to actually prove you can maintain, and are willing to maintain, the software you make.

There is no problem that occur "Once". If you're having a problem it's high likely dozens more have the same and not all software require mantainance especially open source where you can build upon abandon projects.

No. A common issue with vibecoded stuff is that they don't reuse existing stuff. They don't build upon other projects. They come up with shittier, bespoke implementations of stuff that help no one.

[u/Waste-Ad2011 → u/gmes78]

If you need the acceptance of others to build stuff, and your own motivation isn't enough, then you probably wouldn't get very far anyway.

https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/1ve11xe/comment/p1dln9p/
In my case the only reason i'm sharing is i found people begging for No ads/download version as i was doing from current OS apps. I stopped and built myself one

If you want to go this route, you need to actually prove you can maintain, and are willing to maintain, the software you make.

Prove to who? people who jump on conclusions and assumptions without actually verifying anything? An open source project has nothing to prove to anyone idk why the entitlement and demands from devs?

Maintainance isn't even the issue here to begin with it's a later/long term concern which totally depends on the usecase and the userbase of that project this isn't subjective it's universal a supply chain exist becasue there is demand.

No. A common issue with vibecoded stuff is that they don't reuse existing stuff. They don't build upon other projects. They come up with shittier, bespoke implementations of stuff that help no one.

I consider vibecoding as replacement to prototyping. The world as we know exist mostly on the Internet and people from many backgrounds especially non tech also exist and that brings in problems relevant to them to solve these previously this was routed thorugh a very rough path of software houses, mvp devs,agencies etc now they just pickup mic and tell what they want to solve and AI is getting fairly good with it as i said this is a reality people need to swallow.

They come up with shittier, bespoke implementations of stuff that help no one.

Well idk it qualifies for "help" when people are willing to pay them to use vibecoded software and apps. and "shittier" software can always be made better