>>No amount of gifted skill is a threshold for crossing that behavior barrier.

Sure there is. You would rather have Linus in your life who yells at people than not. Linus being an asshole is something you have to deal with to get access to his intelligence. I suggest you make peace with this understanding, as it applies to far more people than Linus.

Having a Linus who doesn't yell at people will be any day better than having one who abuses others at will. He needs to take anger management classes. We could seriously do with a little less high-headedness in the world.

>> Having a Linus who doesn't yell at people

And having my cake and eating it too in every scenario would be great. That's not how things work all the time. It's up to you to deal with it, not Linus to change. He's the scarce resource. He has the leverage. You're just someone on the Internet mad.

Even if I was offended by his communication style, I agree that his technical acumen ought to afford him freedom to communicate as he pleases (possibly limiting to the realm of his expertise).

I've found this quote by Neil Gaiman to be applicable to more than just Freelancing:

> You get work however you get work, but people keep working in a freelance world (and more and more of todays world is freelance), because their work is good, because they are easy to get along with and because they deliver the work on time. And you don’t even need all three! Two out of three is fine. People will tolerate how unpleasant you are if your work is good and you deliver it on time. People will forgive the lateness of your work if it is good and they like you. And you don’t have to be as good as everyone else if you’re on time and it’s always a pleasure to hear from you

Again, your understanding is that intelligent people have the right to abuse. That's just akin to supporting oppression of weaker by stronger. That might be how things are for a lot of people, but not how they should be. Also, mad internet people have historically changed a lot of things, so I'm justified in showing my disapproval even if it won't change Linus. Changing at least one upcoming Linus in life would be a good enough goal.

>> right to abuse.

Equating harsh even personally offensive language to "abuse" is the biggest disagreement here.

Many people, myself included, prescribe to axiom of "sticks and stones will break my bones but words can never hurt me" I understand that the current generation believes that feels are the most important thing ever...

I reject the idea that a person has the right not be offended, and I reject the idea that words on a linux mailing list are abuse

Started writing a response before reading your own, I think you've nailed my perspective on the matter.

Abuse is not offense, offense is not abuse.

Oxford dictionary says otherwise. Replied to the parent comment with references.

It doesn't matter what meaning you personally attribute to it, harsh, deliberately insulting language is "verbal abuse". References:

1. https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/abuse

(Look for meaning 3)

2. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/abuse

Look for 'verbal abuse'.

Not sure what made you think all these things you're writing. By abuse I simply meant 'verbal abuse'. You yourself first apply hyperbolic meaning to the word, and then say it's not that. The whole argument is kind of strange to me. And when did showing dictionary meaning of the dictionary word I'm using start to be a fallacy of argument?

Either you are trolling, or naive into the Politically Correct Social Justice world around you if you do not understand the point of view I am speaking against.

World where people are fired from their jobs because they tell a joke someone finds offensive, I world where you are just one twit or one overheard conversation away from the outrage mob ruining your life..

I think others have clearly communicated who they think is the troll by flagging.

lol... No Social Justice Advocates hate freedom of speech as you seem to as well. Flagging is an indication they they disapprove of my views and would like to censor it. It is indication they do not believe in the concept of free speech

:) Everyone who disagrees with you is either a troll, 'social justice advocate', and what not. Freedom of speech is a legal right, but civilized behavior is an basic expectation and as a privately managed forum HN can enforce their own expected behavior. Your arguments were anyway not constructive as per their guidelines. No further argument from me.

Maybe you should be more concerned about people who are actually threats to you, rather than those who just use language you don't like.

I'm already more concerned about the people who are an actual threat to me, just that I'm also concerned about prolific people using abusive language to insult lesser intelligent people. If I write in the tone that everybody else here is writing in support of Linus' abusive language, I'd say "I am what I am, get over it".

No, it will not. Because then we get a Linus who would have to maintain a filter as well as his technical expertise. The later would suffer, I'm shure.

While I believe your perspective to be reasonable, you do realize that your first sentence undermines your credibility to assert there validity.

Sometimes like for like treatment is necessary.

For random future internet individuals, i know, i know: *there should be their should be its...