The reasoning can be simplified to two things.
1. Linux does not have the bhyve hypervisor ported
2. Maintaining a Linux distribution will require more effort and have more churn than illumos.
Because Linux is just a kernel and users have to provide all of their own user space and system services there is a lot of opportunity for churn. Illumos is a traditional operating system that goes from the kernel to the systemd layer. Illumos is also very stable at this point so most of the churn is managed up front
The choice is between porting a handful of apps to illumos or jumping on to the Debian treadmill while pioneering a new to Linux hypervisor. Would Linux have enabled a faster development cycle or just a easier MVP?
Because Linux is just a kernel and users have to provide all of their own user space and system services there is a lot of opportunity for churn. Illumos is a traditional operating system that goes from the kernel to the systemd layer. Illumos is also very stable at this point so most of the churn is managed up front
The choice is between porting a handful of apps to illumos or jumping on to the Debian treadmill while pioneering a new to Linux hypervisor. Would Linux have enabled a faster development cycle or just a easier MVP?