"Strong language" is not "insults". My point is Linus could easily make himself understood without involving emotion and personal insults to the extent he does, but as he says himself in the video, that's who he is. It doesn't detract much if any from what Linux is per se, but let's admit he does it because he feels like it, and what he can get away with, not for it's particular utility.

I don't want people to be overly nice if it causes miscommunication. But there is a comfortably wide area between being a starry-eyed creampuff to the point of giving people the wrong idea, and being personally insulting, melodramatically emotional and "ruling by fear" - all of which I believe Linus has done at one time or another.

I see the argument that it'd bring in "more contributors", I just never see the argument that it'd improve "code quality".

Well, what if the contributors put off by Linus' behavior are brilliant programmers? The qualifications to be a contributor to Linux should be the quality of the contribution, not emotional toughness.