Re:Linus Torvalds defends his right to shame Linux kernel de...
by akkartik on Tuesday July 16, 2013 @02:43PM
(#6053882)
The linux kernel is a far less dysfunctional social setup than any of the other places you mentioned (even though it's older than some of them), and I weakly suspect it's partly because of Linus's modus operandi.
People notice his swearing but not who he attacks. My observation has been that he's exquisitely careful about picking his targets, always picking people who've been in the group for a while, and never attacking a noob. This sets an extremely egalitarian tone for the group: nobody is immune, and anybody can be questioned on their actions.
(I'm a lot less sanguine than him, though, about the effect this confrontational ethos has on the participation of women in the group.)
Re:Linus Torvalds defends his right to shame Linux kernel de...
by jlgreco on Tuesday July 16, 2013 @02:50PM
(#6053934)
He's attacked noobs before (I specifically recall one case on the git mailing lists) but I've never seen him attack a noob who wasn't trolling and already flinging mud themselves.
People notice his swearing but not who he attacks. My observation has been that he's exquisitely careful about picking his targets, always picking people who've been in the group for a while, and never attacking a noob. This sets an extremely egalitarian tone for the group: nobody is immune, and anybody can be questioned on their actions.
(I'm a lot less sanguine than him, though, about the effect this confrontational ethos has on the participation of women in the group.)