(I work at GitHub.) Linus wrote into github support with some good and pointed feedback as well, most of which was related to email sent when a pull request is

(I work at GitHub.) Linus wrote into github support with some good and pointed feedback as well, most of which was related to email sent when a pull request is opened vs. what you might expect to see when someone submits a patch series to a mailing list. I assume this is what he's referring to with, "so from the pull request it's actually hard to see what somebody asks you to pull," in the quoted bit from the article. We have some changes lined up that we hope will address this. As for the quality of pull requests, it's unfortunate that a people took this as an opportunity to troll (https://github.com/torvalds/linux/pull/6 https://github.com/torvalds/linux/pull/6). That will hopefully settle down once this is no longer "news". If not, we'll find a way to a address it. Lastly, it's worth noting that the linux-kernel mailing list -- where the majority of linux related development and discussion happens -- is an open list (i.e. doesn't require subscribing / passing moderation to post). The ability for anyone to send a pull request to anyone at any time on GitHub is based somewhat on the success of open-list policies on projects like the kernel. While we're always looking for ways to help with trolls, the basic model isn't something we think needs to be "fixed".