Re: [ 00/19] 3.10.1-stable review

J. Bruce Fields
2013-07-18T14:32:48Z

On Thu, Jul 18, 2013 at 12:39:07PM +0200, Ingo Molnar wrote:
>
> * Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org> wrote:
...
> > Because if you want me to "act professional", I can tell you that I'm
> > not interested. I'm sitting in my home office wearign a bathrobe. The
> > same way I'm not going to start wearing ties, I'm *also* not going to
> > buy into the fake politeness, the lying, the office politics and
> > backstabbing, the passive aggressiveness, and the buzzwords. Because
> > THAT is what "acting professionally" results in: people resort to all
> > kinds of really nasty things because they are forced to act out their
> > normal urges in unnatural ways.
>
> Sarah, that's a pretty potent argument by Linus, that "acting
> professionally" risks replacing a raw but honest culture with a
> polished but dishonest culture - which is harmful to developing
> good technology.
>
> That's a valid concern. What's your reply to that argument?

First they came for my "WTF!?!"'s, then before I knew it the only way I
could explain a simple integer-overflow problem involved
anonymously-mailed copies of K&R and subtle hint-dropping to
half-a-dozen managers!

I'm not convinced by the slippery-slope argument here.

Speaking just for myself, yeah, I'd be happier with less yelling all
around. I'd be even more unhappy to lose the clear, direct criticism.
(And the colorful personalities, too. I don't see why anyone needs to
be bland.) I think that's a consistent position.

--b.