3 ms·

Also we need to account for all Ukrainian software developers. Is it not their right to defend against Russian invasion by targeting Russian software developmen

Also we need to account for all Ukrainian software developers. Is it not their right to defend against Russian invasion by targeting Russian software development? Should they welcome Russian invaders with open arms and help them to write better software to occupy Ukraine?

scaramanga 5y ago
Is it the Juba sniper's right to shoot American soldiers in the head while standing outside their vehicle in downtown Baghdad? On the one hand, I cannot deny the right of Iraqis to defend their territory from a criminal war of aggression. But do I need to stand up for what he is doing? Should I put money in his paypal account? Do I have to agree that all soldiers are legitimate targets, even when there is no military objective other than "exacting a cost?" Can I ask who pays that cost? Is it the war criminal George Bush, or just some grieving American family somewhere? If twice as many families have sons, brothers, fathers taken from them, would a future George Bush think twice? Back to the topic at hand. Of course we can understand the motivation but at the same time the question for us is whether we in the open source community want to preserve software as a humanitarian sphere which is not necessarily neutral in conflict but, at least, part of civil society and not involved in or drawn into cyber-warfare as far as possible. That fact that hostilities have broken out does not mean that everyone has to camp at one ridiculous extreme (kill them all) or another (total capitulation) and it's perfectly reasonable to try to find a path between them which is consistent with our own moral and ethical code.
SpicyLemonZest 5y ago
If it were a Ukrainian guy who did this I think it would be much less controversial. It’s good and proper for people being invaded to fight back with whatever means are available to them, but it’s a problem if we end up in a place where major conflicts have to escalate into global cyber war. (I should mention that Russia already does tolerate destructive hacking against the West, and has been doing so for a while - that doesn’t change my opinion, but it would be unfair not to note.)

scaramanga 5y ago

Is it the Juba sniper's right to shoot American soldiers in the head while standing outside their vehicle in downtown Baghdad? On the one hand, I cannot deny the right of Iraqis to defend their territory from a criminal war of aggression. But do I need to stand up for what he is doing? Should I put money in his paypal account? Do I have to agree that all soldiers are legitimate targets, even when there is no military objective other than "exacting a cost?" Can I ask who pays that cost? Is it the war criminal George Bush, or just some grieving American family somewhere? If twice as many families have sons, brothers, fathers taken from them, would a future George Bush think twice? Back to the topic at hand. Of course we can understand the motivation but at the same time the question for us is whether we in the open source community want to preserve software as a humanitarian sphere which is not necessarily neutral in conflict but, at least, part of civil society and not involved in or drawn into cyber-warfare as far as possible. That fact that hostilities have broken out does not mean that everyone has to camp at one ridiculous extreme (kill them all) or another (total capitulation) and it's perfectly reasonable to try to find a path between them which is consistent with our own moral and ethical code.

SpicyLemonZest 5y ago

If it were a Ukrainian guy who did this I think it would be much less controversial. It’s good and proper for people being invaded to fight back with whatever means are available to them, but it’s a problem if we end up in a place where major conflicts have to escalate into global cyber war. (I should mention that Russia already does tolerate destructive hacking against the West, and has been doing so for a while - that doesn’t change my opinion, but it would be unfair not to note.)