(I work at GitHub.)<p>Linus wrote into github support with some good and pointed feedback as well, most of which was related to email sent when a pull request is opened vs. what you might expect to see when someone submits a patch series to a mailing list. I assume this is what he's referring to with, "so from the pull request it's actually hard to see <i>what</i> somebody asks you to pull," in the quoted bit from the article. We have some changes lined up that we hope will address this.<p>As for the quality of pull requests, it's unfortunate that a people took this as an opportunity to troll (<a href="https://github.com/torvalds/linux/pull/6" rel="nofollow">https://github.com/torvalds/linux/pull/6</a>). That will hopefully settle down once this is no longer "news". If not, we'll find a way to a address it.<p>Lastly, it's worth noting that the linux-kernel mailing list -- where the majority of linux related development and discussion happens -- is an open list (i.e. doesn't require subscribing / passing moderation to post). The ability for anyone to send a pull request to anyone at any time on GitHub is based somewhat on the success of open-list policies on projects like the kernel. While we're always looking for ways to help with trolls, the basic model isn't something we think needs to be "fixed".