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This was months ago. The official announcement was in the middle of April. See this response from the official GrapheneOS X account. > We're in communication w

This was months ago. The official announcement was in the middle of April. See this response from the official GrapheneOS X account. > We're in communication with him and he has been diverted away from combat. https://x.com/GrapheneOS/status/1933311869122720069 https://x.com/GrapheneOS/status/1933311869122720069

closewith 1y ago
What an odd comment by the person. Why would a software developer of all people be particularly worthy of protection in wartime?
- alex_duf 1y ago
  software is a useful skill during a war. The same way you probably wouldn't send a doctor to a fight as the doctor is more useful to help with the wounded, a software engineer with an infosec background(as I assume the lead dev of graphene would) could be extremely useful to the war.
  - Havoc 1y ago
    Lots of skills are useful during war…
    - B4uler5 1y ago
      Tf do you even mean by this?
    - bawolff 1y ago
      Sure, and some are in more limited supply then others so are valued more highly.
  - jltsiren 1y ago
    Software is a common skill, especially among military-age men. Probably around 5% of those employed in that group have software-related jobs. Doctors are rarer, and they also need more training to become productive, which makes them harder to replace than software developers. You can argue that a specific individual has specific skills and experience that make them more valuable to the country in a non-fighting role. But software developer is just another common job.
  - closewith 1y ago
    Many people with useful skills - even useful in wartime - are put in harm's way. Many doctors included in field facilities. But the commenter seems to be making a moral, not utilitary, argument.
- jeroenhd 1y ago
  Software development is a common skill, but software security is a niche. I imagine any army can make good use of someone who's an expert in finding (and patching) security holes and coming up with new exploitation techniques (to thwart). This isn't so much about being worthy of protection as it is about the army dealing the most damage it can. Exploiting software vulnerabilities to disable production (like the Ukranians did for that drone production company) can save as many lives as sending someone to the front can. Breaking into networks to gather OPSEC is crucial for any military operation, offensive or defensive.
- red-iron-pine 1y ago
  if you have an existing skillset they're not going to throw you into the infantry. odds are the dev is in some sort of signals intelligence unit or doing dev on some sort of drone control system, etc. ditto for if/when they draft doctors, dentists, welders, etc. -- put people with skills and experience in those fields into areas where they can be used. doesn't mean the graphine dev ain't working 20 hour days and ain't getting targeted by drones -- just they're not line grunts.
  - closewith 1y ago
    > if you have an existing skillset they're not going to throw you into the infantry. There are a lot of highly qualified people in the combat corps. > ditto for if/when they draft doctors, dentists, welders, etc. -- put people with skills and experience in those fields into areas where they can be used. Many of which will be very close to the FEBA. But the Graphene OS commenter seems to be making a moral, not utilitarian, argument, which is both odd and somewhat reprehensible.
    - franga2000 1y ago
      How is it immoral to say that people should do what the things where they can do the most good? Thousands of people rely on GrapheneOS, many of whose lives would be in danger from repressive regimes or criminals if GrapheneOS makes a security blunder or even stops being maintained. Working on GrapheneOS probably saves far more lives than being just another frontline soldier.
      - closewith 1y ago
        > How is it immoral to say that people should do what the things where they can do the most good? It is blatantly immoral to say that a person's life should be valued more because of they are a software developer or because of the software they produce, or that it should be protected more than the lives of other people. > Working on GrapheneOS probably saves far more lives than being just another frontline soldier. And it doesn't make a life one iota more valuable than anyone else's.
- strcat 1y ago
  It would be quite stupid to send one of the most talented security engineers/researchers in their country and beyond to fight as infantry in trench warfare. Our thread was posted as an appeal to Ukraine's military leadership. The end result is that he'll avoid being highly likely to die and Ukraine will be better off than if they'd wasted him as infantry. Where's the downside?

closewith 1y ago

What an odd comment by the person. Why would a software developer of all people be particularly worthy of protection in wartime?

alex_duf 1y ago
software is a useful skill during a war. The same way you probably wouldn't send a doctor to a fight as the doctor is more useful to help with the wounded, a software engineer with an infosec background(as I assume the lead dev of graphene would) could be extremely useful to the war.
- Havoc 1y ago
  Lots of skills are useful during war…
  - B4uler5 1y ago
    Tf do you even mean by this?
  - bawolff 1y ago
    Sure, and some are in more limited supply then others so are valued more highly.
- jltsiren 1y ago
  Software is a common skill, especially among military-age men. Probably around 5% of those employed in that group have software-related jobs. Doctors are rarer, and they also need more training to become productive, which makes them harder to replace than software developers. You can argue that a specific individual has specific skills and experience that make them more valuable to the country in a non-fighting role. But software developer is just another common job.
- closewith 1y ago
  Many people with useful skills - even useful in wartime - are put in harm's way. Many doctors included in field facilities. But the commenter seems to be making a moral, not utilitary, argument.
jeroenhd 1y ago
Software development is a common skill, but software security is a niche. I imagine any army can make good use of someone who's an expert in finding (and patching) security holes and coming up with new exploitation techniques (to thwart). This isn't so much about being worthy of protection as it is about the army dealing the most damage it can. Exploiting software vulnerabilities to disable production (like the Ukranians did for that drone production company) can save as many lives as sending someone to the front can. Breaking into networks to gather OPSEC is crucial for any military operation, offensive or defensive.
red-iron-pine 1y ago
if you have an existing skillset they're not going to throw you into the infantry. odds are the dev is in some sort of signals intelligence unit or doing dev on some sort of drone control system, etc. ditto for if/when they draft doctors, dentists, welders, etc. -- put people with skills and experience in those fields into areas where they can be used. doesn't mean the graphine dev ain't working 20 hour days and ain't getting targeted by drones -- just they're not line grunts.
- closewith 1y ago
  > if you have an existing skillset they're not going to throw you into the infantry. There are a lot of highly qualified people in the combat corps. > ditto for if/when they draft doctors, dentists, welders, etc. -- put people with skills and experience in those fields into areas where they can be used. Many of which will be very close to the FEBA. But the Graphene OS commenter seems to be making a moral, not utilitarian, argument, which is both odd and somewhat reprehensible.
  - franga2000 1y ago
    How is it immoral to say that people should do what the things where they can do the most good? Thousands of people rely on GrapheneOS, many of whose lives would be in danger from repressive regimes or criminals if GrapheneOS makes a security blunder or even stops being maintained. Working on GrapheneOS probably saves far more lives than being just another frontline soldier.
    - closewith 1y ago
      > How is it immoral to say that people should do what the things where they can do the most good? It is blatantly immoral to say that a person's life should be valued more because of they are a software developer or because of the software they produce, or that it should be protected more than the lives of other people. > Working on GrapheneOS probably saves far more lives than being just another frontline soldier. And it doesn't make a life one iota more valuable than anyone else's.
strcat 1y ago
It would be quite stupid to send one of the most talented security engineers/researchers in their country and beyond to fight as infantry in trench warfare. Our thread was posted as an appeal to Ukraine's military leadership. The end result is that he'll avoid being highly likely to die and Ukraine will be better off than if they'd wasted him as infantry. Where's the downside?