[I appreciate you probably realise this:] Selection bias - you only see one news-aggregator-site linus rant every 3-4 months and not the other 1347 normal coder and leader emails in between that allow him to maintain the most successful bit of open source software in existence.

Linus being gentle to noob doesn't buck the trend, but fits a pattern - Linus only serves his harshest criticism to senior devs who ought to know better.

Most (all?) famous people end up being understood as a caricature of themselves. It's like the urge to stereotype, we're limited creatures and try to understand things in simplifications.

If you stop to think about it for a minute, it's impossible that one of the most creative, complicated, and successful projects in the planet could be controlled by a simple asshole or troll. There has to be enough good stuff within that leader to overcome the negativity and create the positive result we all rely on every day.

Even better, it's Linus being pragmatic. You can tell he hates them but he sees the greater good.

As another comment alludes, we end up perceiving the stereotypes in others. Anyone who reads his writing closely should see that his answers are almost always pragmatic and from a "nothing but the best for my baby" perspective, even if they are somewhat abrasive.

I believe kind is his default state. It's just that the few times he deviate from this, end up making the news...

Just keep reading: "Yes, those trivial patches _are_ a bother. Damn, they are _horrible_." :D

Indeed, and that he's embodying the community spirit of open source so well.

Same thought. He's not being a git at all! ;)

He's mellowing in his old age ;)