projects are left without maintainers [LWN.net]

projects are left without maintainers

Posted Oct 23, 2024 19:04 UTC (Wed) by MarcB (subscriber, #101804)
In reply to: projects are left without maintainers by bluca
Parent article: Several Russian developers lose kernel maintainership status

> By proving that you are working for a different, non-sanctioned entity for example

After which you would, of course, be harassed online; maybe even loose your job or get harassed offline. After all, it is documented in a public changelog, that you disavowed your country.

I really hope that there was non-public communication beforehand and the people affected now are just those who did not provide any documentation.

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projects are left without maintainers

Posted Oct 23, 2024 20:54 UTC (Wed) by bluca (subscriber, #118303) [Link] (3 responses)

Uh? Why would you be "harassed online" for showing that you have a job? There's literally several websites dedicated to it, like Linkedin...

projects are left without maintainers

Posted Oct 24, 2024 18:04 UTC (Thu) by MarcB (subscriber, #101804) [Link] (2 responses)

Note that I even mentioned "harassed online" as the most harmless possible outcome. Worse is possible.

Russian, domestic propaganda is very much based on a "true patriots versus corrupted individuals" narrative, where "corrupted" can get defined *very* broadly and arbitrarily. It utilizes thugs, online and offline, as helpers. Police and prosecutors look away when those thugs cross the line of acceptable - and even legal - behaviour.

You can be absolutely certain that a bunch "of true Russian patriots" is now watching the maintainers file and will challenge anyone who gets re-added. This might even escalate offline, by contacting employers, neighbors and so on.

projects are left without maintainers

Posted Oct 24, 2024 18:51 UTC (Thu) by atnot (guest, #124910) [Link]

> Russian, domestic propaganda is very much based on a "true patriots versus corrupted individuals" narrative, where "corrupted" can get defined *very* broadly and arbitrarily.

Oh, so it's just like nationalism everywhere else too :)

showing proof of employment ≠ disavowing Russia

Posted Oct 26, 2024 1:32 UTC (Sat) by hackerb9 (guest, #21928) [Link]

MarcB, are you thinking that the sanctions are by nationality? I do not think that is the case as it looks like the US sanctions actually target 500 specific entities[1] in Russia. A maintainer doesn't need to show that they work for a foreign corporation, which I could imagine might appear to some like disavowing Russia, they can show they work for some other Russian business.

[1]: https://sanctionslist.ofac.treas.gov/Home/static/sdn.html