Earlier quoted context omitted.
What people really don't seem to get is that Linus' cultural background is Finnish, and that Finns tend to be extremely outspoken and that they couldn't lie or polish their words if their life depended on it. http://www.karelia.fi/welcomingguide/the-finnish-way-of-life What to American sensibilities are grave insults to Linus is most likely just him speaking his mind without any filter in place, the way he was brough…
I'm aware of this, and I can respect differences attributable to different cultural norms. But firstly, I have spoken to a Finnish developer who has said that he also considers Linus more frustrating than average; secondly, acknowledging cultural differences creates a foundation for effective communication, but does not infallibly forgive any and all transgressions (context still matters); and thirdly, most other dev…
Re: Why GitHub Can't Host the Linux Kernel Community
#51Well, personally I prefer the 'Linus' approach rather than the politically correct avoid-the-language-of-conflict and make sure you dress up every insult as a compliment approach, but I can see why if you're not used to it it can be tough. Sure, Linus is an outlier, even by Finnish standards, but I'm willing to cut the guy some slack because of his contributions, I'd be less willing to cut someone slack who does not have the required merit badges and who just goes around insulting people for effect. Linus simply has a hard time feeling passionate about stuff he really cares about and expressing himself in a way that would not be frowned on at the boardroom level. It's a problem, but it's mostly his problem and I've yet to see others emulating him so if that's a huge problem I'm not presently aware of it (and I meet lots of developers).