Leonid Korchenko/Moment/Getty Images Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways Linus Torvalds doesn't like non-informative links in proposed Linux code changes. Useless links are from AI dev programs and automated tools. Torvalds thinks links should lead to useful info about a patch. It all started with a single fix to a resource node rewrite in the Linux kernel. The more Linus Torvalds looked at it, the more puzzled he became. You see, the fix didn't "actually fix anything at all." Then, Torvalds explained, he spotted the "promising 'Link:' argument that I hoped would explain why this pointless commit exists, but AS ALWAYS that link only wasted my time by pointing to the same damn information that was already there." 'Stop this garbage already' He went from puzzled to annoyed in nothing flat in a discussion on the Linux Kernel Mailing List (LKML). Torvalds continued, "I was hoping that it would point to some oops report or something that would explain why my initial reaction was wrong." He ended up disappointed. Also: Linus Torvalds built Git in 10 days - and never imagined it would last 20 years So, Torvalds announced, "Stop this garbage already. Stop adding pointless Link arguments that waste people's time. Add the link if it has *ADDITIONAL* information. Dammit, I really hate those pointless links. I love seeing *useful* links, but 99% of the links I actually see just point to stupid, useless garbage, and it *ONLY* wastes my time. AGAIN." In short, "if you actually expect me to pull this, I want a real explanation and not a useless link. Yes, I'm grumpy. I feel like my main job -- really my only job -- is to try to make sense of pull requests, and that's why I absolutely detest these things that are automatically added and only make my job harder." Also: Linux's remarkable journey from one dev's hobby to 40 million lines of code - and counting Others agree. As one Reddit commenter put it, "Linus has a point. That original patch looked like an AI-written summary, and the link to the explanation of the problem was the same summary." AI programming and inexperience So, why have these pointless links become a recurring problem? With the rise of AI programming, many contributors are now using automated scripts, bots, or platform integrations, such as GitHub or GitLab, that automatically generate hyperlinks for cross-referencing issues, merge requests, and patch submissions. Sounds good, doesn't it? However, these systems frequently add links that point back to the patch email or a generic page without offering additional information, discussion history, or bug tracker context that would help understand the patch. In other words, they're wasting maintainers' time. Spoiler alert: Pretty much all maintainers, not just Torvalds, have more than enough on their plates without adding make-work. Also: Linus Torvalds blasts kernel dev for 'making the world worse' with 'garbage' patches It's not just these tools that are causing this problem. Less experienced or rushed developers are following prescribed workflows or templates that encourage or require the use of links, regardless of relevance. Since there is little oversight or enforcement of best practices, many links are added purely out of habit or compliance, leading to the proliferation of pointless references. If you want to make Torvalds happy, it's pretty simple. Just do what he asked: "Can we please stop this automated idiocy?"