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Linus Torvalds is, by all accounts, a bully. Not that again. Some people will defend him because the people he really lets loose on is not newcomers but very e

Linus Torvalds is, by all accounts, a bully. Not that again. Some people will defend him because the people he really lets loose on is not newcomers but very experienced contributors from whom he expects better. It's a cultural issue. Recently I spoke to a US general, who as a young officer served as a liaison officer in Germany. He found the German directness "refreshing".

gameswithgo 8y ago
You can be linus style direct, more efficiently, by removing the irrelevant insults and swearing. They really serve no purpose other than to make linus feel good and others feel bad. So its not net good for the world. You can say "This commit is garbage I am really angry about it and expected better from you" and not add "you are a fucking abortion" or whatever.
- dbcurtis 8y ago
  Even that is not helpful to the recipient of the feedback. How about: "Here is a list of standards every code check-in is required to meet. Here are the standards that your current P/R fails. Try again. Do you need help with anything specific? When can you have a new P/R ready?." If applicable: "This delays the schedule, what is your recovery plan?: And occasionally: "At your pay grade, you are expected to know these standards."
  - tbrake 8y ago
    I find this kind of dispassionate feedback both condescending and nauseating tbqh. A few f-bombs let me know you care.
    - dbcurtis 8y ago
      Dispassionate? Let me tell you, if you have ever had an ex-commando officer from the Israeli Defense Force as a boss, you will know with every fiber of your being that those words can be delivered with passion. A passion that leaves no doubt in your mind that "What is your recovery plan?" is not a soft-ball question, and that a soft-ball answer will be promptly discarded. In my case, said boss took part in Operation Entebbe. He ran a very low-BS engineering organization. It was refreshing in a very good way.

gameswithgo 8y ago

You can be linus style direct, more efficiently, by removing the irrelevant insults and swearing. They really serve no purpose other than to make linus feel good and others feel bad. So its not net good for the world. You can say "This commit is garbage I am really angry about it and expected better from you" and not add "you are a fucking abortion" or whatever.

dbcurtis 8y ago
Even that is not helpful to the recipient of the feedback. How about: "Here is a list of standards every code check-in is required to meet. Here are the standards that your current P/R fails. Try again. Do you need help with anything specific? When can you have a new P/R ready?." If applicable: "This delays the schedule, what is your recovery plan?: And occasionally: "At your pay grade, you are expected to know these standards."
- tbrake 8y ago
  I find this kind of dispassionate feedback both condescending and nauseating tbqh. A few f-bombs let me know you care.
  - dbcurtis 8y ago
    Dispassionate? Let me tell you, if you have ever had an ex-commando officer from the Israeli Defense Force as a boss, you will know with every fiber of your being that those words can be delivered with passion. A passion that leaves no doubt in your mind that "What is your recovery plan?" is not a soft-ball question, and that a soft-ball answer will be promptly discarded. In my case, said boss took part in Operation Entebbe. He ran a very low-BS engineering organization. It was refreshing in a very good way.