It is quite instructive ...
... to read the thread in LKML (just go to the link to Linus's post and follow from there). The person who submitted the code immediately responded (no need for detective work), the network subsystem maintainer (Dave Miller) followed, the commit was reverted, a patch without the offending compiler wrapper was re-submitted.
It is obvious that despite the (characteristically) colorful language the criticism was understood by everyone involved to be professional and not personal, the reaction was professional as well, and the entire situation was handled intelligently and efficiently.
I suspect Linus knows very well that the somewhat impersonal nature of email provides for additional tolerance of colorful vocabulary, and the strong language is probably both a personal trait and a tool. When he makes a technical point he does it forcefully, and this makes him more effective in the absence of personal interaction.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
