Who is "Lenny" and why should I do anything for him?

Homeless Lenny? Plausible. There are enough personality conflicts in the Debian project that wondering whether Lenny is human or intangible is valid. At least at first glance.

This is just like reviewing program code. Everything can be unobfuscated with enough effort, but clarity has many advantages.

We read LWN for a higher level view of the linux development scene. I assume that the editor was so immersed in Debian that he automatically knew what Lenny meant. I know that I didn't.

While the vehemence of the original complaint is misplaced, the point is valid.