I think "brilliant jerk" is lacking in nuance. From what I've seen much of the time Linus really isn't that bad, and never was. He did (does?) have his "moments

I think "brilliant jerk" is lacking in nuance. From what I've seen much of the time Linus really isn't that bad, and never was. He did (does?) have his "moments" where he rails against people who he feels should know better, which are often excessive and unproductive. I don't wish to excuse this, but but this is very different from someone who is a jerk 100% of the time, rails against "noobs" constantly, and things like that. In the end, details like this matter a great deal.