I'd rather only have people who are mentally stable enough to withstand Linus's flames develop code for the Linux kernel.
To each their own. Personally, I'd rather have good Linux kernel developers develop code for the Linux kernel.
Also, your implication that anyone who doesn't want to work in an unpleasant environment is mentally unstable is obvious hyperbole.
This is not about a small experimental project where nobody cares about stability, but one of the largest truly collaborative endeavors ever made by humankind
And again, your hyperbole is unfounded. This is one of the largest collaborative endeavours ever made by humankind. This is one of the largest collaborative endeavours ever made by humankind. This is one of the largest collaborative endeavours ever made by humankind.
Linux is a relatively large software project. There are plenty of other relatively large software projects, written by plenty of other smart people who also care about stability and quality.
billions of dollars in worldwide economic growth hinge on its future development
In what way, exactly? Systems that include Linux surely have a collective value on that scale, but that value wouldn't disappear if someone made a small mistake in a kernel commit, or if Linus retired tomorrow.
To give you some perspective, I'm pretty sure that the astronaut program performs stricter tests for mental stability than being able to take some guy's rants not too personal
You are giving me some perspective, by comparing a programme that develops one relatively large piece of software to a programme that puts humans in space? Physician, heal thyself!
Oh, come on. Linus is not the boss of any of the people on LKML.
Are you suggesting that he's just an ordinary poster on the list, with no special authority compared to kernel contributors and no special status as a leader that newcomers might look to?