Linus Torvalds, the founder of Linux, has declined a request to merge code for the RISC-V architecture submitted by Google engineer Palmer Dabbelt, labeling it as "garbage". This was reported by Tom's Hardware. The code submission for the Linux kernel 6.17 was made on August 8, but Torvalds sharply criticized both its quality and the timing of the submission.

In his comments, Torvalds emphasized that he had requested submissions to be made in advance due to a planned trip and added, "If you can’t adhere to this rule, at least make your request a quality one". He pointed out that the code contained changes to general header files that were unrelated to RISC-V and termed them as "things that should never be sent, especially during the merge window closing".

Torvalds also stated that the submitted code "makes the world a worse place" and warned the developer: "No late requests and no garbage outside the RISC-V tree". He advised preparing contributions for Linux version 6.18 well in advance and without unnecessary elements.

The community's reaction to Torvalds’ blunt tone has been mixed. Some find his straightforwardness effective, while others stress the importance of constructive dialogue. Despite the criticism, Torvalds provided specific examples of errors, allowing his comments to be viewed not just as an emotional response but also as a technical assessment.