Re: [RFC PATCH] futex: Introduce __vdso_robust_futex_unlock

[Thomas Gleixner <tglx@kernel.org>]

Mathieu!

On Fri, Mar 20 2026 at 14:13, Mathieu Desnoyers wrote:

Thanks for bringing this up. I reflected on my behavior and, first of all, I
want to offer my sincere apologies.

Allow me to share my reflections – neither to defend or excuse my behavior
nor to deflect it back to you – but as a form of honest root cause analysis.

I realized that I underestimated how differently the usage of hyperbolic
exaggeration – beyond the point of absurdity – is perceived across
different cultures and individuals.

It is generally known that the German communication style can be very
direct. As a thought experiment, I tried to imagine how I would receive the
same reply if sent to me. My initial unspoken thought would have probably
been, “Point taken. You bastard.” then, my reaction would have been either
to go silent and do more research or, if it annoyed me enough, to dryly
serve it back with, “Were you referring to the training about
professionalism and multicultural awareness? Was it any good?”

But I acknowledge that communication styles, expectations and perception
are very different across cultures and individuals. So I'll try to avoid it
in the future.

Honestly, my response was a signal that my patience was exhausted and my
frustration had crossed a threshold. I have publicly admitted in the past
that I have difficulties with this. I'm working on this, but every now and
then, my filter fails and I end up being too stingingly direct for my own
good.


Where does this frustration originate from?

 1) The respect for other people's time is deeply cultural and ingrained in
    me.

    It's highly valued when people show up for technical discussions with
    the details 'paged in'. Unpreparedness can be perceived as disregarding
    others’ time.

    I'm caring deeply about my time, which is a finite precious resource
    and I'm very sensitive and protective about it so that I'm able to
    distribute and re-prioritize it between bugs, regressions, submissions
    and my own work.


 2) In German engineering culture 'solved' is a binary state which implies
    that something is complete, tested and well-explained.

    Claiming it to be solved while noting that it's incomplete and untested
    is not only a logical contradiction, but it can be perceived as a
    breach of professional integrity or as an act of ‘marketing’.

    Seeking feedback on an idea or proof of concept is certainly welcome and
    encouraged, provided it's clearly communicated that way – along with an
    explanation of the analysis which led to the approach.


 3) Methodological rigor is a key expectation of my engineering culture.

    Due to that, I spend significant amounts of time and effort to provide
    full technical analysis with detailed break downs. These write-ups are
    useful for myself to self check my conclusions and work but also aimed
    to make it easy for the recipient to follow my thought process. I also
    take care of documenting the expectations for patch submissions in order
    to make the process smooth and less time consuming for everyone
    involved.

    I become deeply frustrated when I perceive that these efforts aren't
    valued, not met with reciprocal rigor, and/or when documentation or
    feedback is ignored – especially when it comes from people I respect
    and I know they are capable.


I respect you as a person and I respect your technical expertise. I
absolutely had no intention to belittle you or to undermine your expertise.

I offer you my sincere apology once again.

     Thomas