Good for Linus, I'm happy that he's not looking to adjust his technical expectations:
"technically wrong is still technically wrong, and I won't start accepting bad code just to make people feel better about themselves."
""...should be retroactively aborted. Who the f+ck does idiotic things like that? How did they not die as babies, considering that they were likely too stupid to find a tit to suck on?""
I believe it's well known that people tend to curse more in a second language, applying that theory to some Finns is going to lead to a very colorful and explicit language.
Personally I barely swear, I find it somewhat pointless.
However I have never really been bothered in the least of what he writes. I'm wondering if it is because English is a second language to me? Maybe because I have at least a cursory knowledge of Finn culture, or even because it felt so blindingly obvious to me that regardless of the superficial content of the profanities, they were rarely ( if ever ) a statement of value regarding people, only their contribution.
I really don't know, but it is interesting because I think I would have reacted quite strongly to most people saying what you quoted above!
Language and communication, it's perplexingly complicated.
* This code is idiotic.
* You are an idiot.
* You should be dead.
If you view software development as entertainment.
If you view it asa profession, maybe not.
I think Linus was actually trying to be funny with those statements. Some of us understand that humor, some of us don't.
Generally, it's probably not a good idea to use such language with an individual. But if it's 'not good' - you can say that.
But finally there's no reason to demean individuals arbitrarily.
This discussion is wayward: it's not about groups, minorities or being PC ... it's really just about being 'honest' vs. 'being sensitive'.
Some people perceive some honest remarks as insensitive, while others perceive 'politically sensitive' remarks as dishonest, and therefore a little offensive.
Personally I'm in the 'candid' camp, but I don't mind people who are a little indirect with the intention of being nice.
This has nothing to do with arbitrary douchebaggery - there's never any reason for that. Ok - maybe you scan scream at a big, faceless corporation now and again, but not individuals.
I think there's too much intellectualize of this subject and so many are missing the point.
You can be candid or sensitive, that should be your choice.
But you can't be an arbitrary jerk.
If Linus wants to be candid at the cost of not being well received, then fine. But he shouldn't be attacking people.
Why not? Who invented that rule?
As to the topic, I don't think it's ever been a mystery to Torvalds why people might not like him. Doesn't really change anything about the product.
Not to compare him to anyone else, but who really thinks that talented artisans throughout history were great people to be around?
Did anyone seriously, with good faith and without political goals, believe that that was going to happen?
I've personally found an increase in instances in which I think, "The likelihood of X is so low," and then bam! X occurs.