He's right and throwing up "Continental Western European" as an answer really emphasizes that your picture of Europe isn't in line with reality. You are saying the cultures of Spain, France, Germany (and many others) is all the same? That doesn't make sense. And then you lump up the Balkans and others as if somehow that's another group with a single culture?

kryptiskt is right and not nitpicking. You are trying to take widely diverse people groups and lump them all together based on a general ignorance of the places you are talking about.

> You are saying the cultures of Spain, France, Germany (and many others) is all the same? That doesn't make sense

Of course it doesn't make sense, that's why I never said it, but the cultures share some traits, even across language borders.

Having lived in more than one country in Europe I think I know something about the differences (and similarities) between them.

It makes less sense if you've lived here. Then you ought to know "European Culture", "Continental Western European Culture" and so on are nonsense labels. It would be like talking about North American Culture.

I have no clue what you mean, other European OSS contributors don't have that reputation, and they're legion. It's a just-so story made up to excuse Linus behavior. It has nothing to do with Europe. Or your imagined "European" culture that doesn't exist.