As I recall, the prompt was particularly clear about what was about to happen, hence the extra yes, do as I say! response. Linus was either too stupid or too arrogant to realize that he was out of his depth and should consult someone with more experience.
Ignorance and stupidity are very different things. This wasn't a Chernobyl situation where the emergency scram button triggered a hidden flaw. This was a "PRESSING THIS BUTTON WILL IMMEDIATELY AND DEFINITIVELY NUKE, RUIN, DESTROY YOUR SYSTEM" situation.