> quite bluntly, a personal attack I don't see how this is a personal attack. I call the quoted comment a plainly-stated critique of a developer's portfolio. I

> quite bluntly, a personal attack I don't see how this is a personal attack. I call the quoted comment a plainly-stated critique of a developer's portfolio. If you have repeatedly demonstrated a problem following basic requirements (ref: "denying the regression now for three weeks"), that's a good reason to presume problems might exist (i.e. "your code cannot be relied upon"). Linus tends to write this type of "blunt" letter only after other ("nicer") attempts have repeatedly failed, and a pattern of problematic behavior exists. Accurately describing someone's reputation based on their actual work and behavior is not a personal attack. Without false claims - aka actual slander or libel - you earn your own reputation which other people can and will include in their opinions about you. > The profanity is also unnecessary. I don't see any profanity in the quoted comment. > the Linux community ...is another matter entirely, and a discussion for another thread.