Speaker
Description
This talk is based on my work as a developer in the ROSA Linux distribution. ROSA is an independent distribution, not based on any other, with its own package base and RPM+DNF package management, continuing the Mandriva lineage. In Russia, ROSA participates in the large‑scale import substitution effort, replacing Windows with sovereign operating systems on desktops and servers. The distribution is fully controlled by its maintainers: all packages (over 20 000) are built from source, every component can be patched, the whole repository can be rebuilt independently, and we (the team) define our own technical policy while pushing improvements upstream whenever possible.
Our primary goal is to make ROSA convenient for both workstations and servers, easing the transition from Windows without frustrating users, including experinced Linux users, not only Windows ones.
The recent AI boom has not bypassed us. I will discuss how AI is affecting distribution development, starting with a notable event: the proposal to ban AI in Debian.
I will examine the fears expressed in that debate — outdated standards, hallucinations, reviewer burnout, license risks, and infrastructure load — and offer my perspective on each, concluding that an outright ban may bring more harm than good (bureaucracy, contributor loss, slower evolution).
A review of Linux user landscape will be given, which is diverse: non‑technical home users (patriotic, not IT‑oriented, valuing Russian localization and Windows‑like ergonomics, often gaming via PortProton), geeks (IT‑related, sometimes favouring English interfaces and DEs with unusual UX like GNOME or i3, critical of domestic solutions), and organisations ranging from small schools to large enterprises. The challenge is keeping all of them satisfied.
Next, I will cover practical AI usage in our daily work: code comprehension, patch writing, self‑review (preferably with sub‑agents), and how AI allows to do things that would not have been done without it, with some interesting examples of debugging and solving problems.
I will also point out the limitations — AI is good at short, well‑defined tasks but poorly trained for long‑term autonomous work in our specific Linux environment. Importance of writing clear commit messages will be emphasised, using the case of "drm/qxl: avoid hangs on an unresponsive SPICE host" as an example.
Finally, opportunities for newcomers and more experinced Linuxers in contributing to the ecosystem of free software and the ROSA distro will be covered.
Any other info we should know?
Please put the talk on August 28-29. I will have to leave on Aug 30
Session author's bio
Mikhail Novosyolov is one of lead developers of the ROSA Linux distribution and its platform, which is a base for different operating systems.
| In Person Attendance | In-person |
|---|---|
| Social Media | https://github.com/mikhailnov |
| Level of Difficulty | Intermediate |
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| Please confirm that there are included headshots of all speakers in their profiles | Yes |