Story

I don't know the kernel configuration well enough (or at all), but my understanding was that having a Linux kernel with specific custom configurations (compilation flags, modules, scheduling policy, file system, minimum amount of necessary drivers and so on) was exactly the sysadmin's job (i.e. the guy in charge of the server is supposed to know better).

Besides, there are so many different servers out there, I fail to understand how one Linux with minimal packaging could fit them all. I understand the idea of stripping the repositories from all the unnecessary desktop-related packages, but it can't be just about that, is it ?

There's quite a bit more to his argument than these two paragraphs so read on before pointing out that Linux distros are already mostly divided into server and desktop focuses.

That's one of the many reasons I like pipedot. You're supposed to read TFA :-)