> I find more often than not, that "abrupt and to-the-point" is mistaken for "rude and offensive".
Calling someone's theory bullshit is rude and offensive. Telling someone they are full of shit is also. Abrupt and to the point as a general class of communication further is often rude. Making or attempting to make people feel worse than you need to to get your point across efficiently is offensive.
In this case, for example, Linus could have simply said, "That's a nice theory. If you can prove it, we'll consider it." That's more to-the-point, communicates the entirety of what Linus managed to in his email, and also is not rude.
I disagree. There are hundreds if not thousands of people willing to waste his time (Linus) with theory and conversation, his abrupt, rude tone makes it clear that unless you are communicating actual information, not just theories, don't bother him with this stuff. It is rude but I expect he does not want to be bothered with fluff, only real information.
I agree in this case (see my edit). It seems most people in a working FOSS community will give quite a bit of slack to someone who's proven their value.
There is also context and a dynamic that outsiders may not always aware of. A colleague of mine could say "you're full of shit - come back with something that works", and I would be more likely to take that as a challenge than an insult. Similarly, within the LKML, this response is somewhat expected, and you better have your defense ready for the ensuing battle.
Calling someone's theory bullshit is rude and offensive. Telling someone they are full of shit is also. Abrupt and to the point as a general class of communication further is often rude. Making or attempting to make people feel worse than you need to to get your point across efficiently is offensive.
In this case, for example, Linus could have simply said, "That's a nice theory. If you can prove it, we'll consider it." That's more to-the-point, communicates the entirety of what Linus managed to in his email, and also is not rude.