Several Linux Kernel Driver Maintainers Removed Due To Their Association To Russia

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Several Linux Kernel Driver Maintainers Removed Due To Their Association To Russia

Quietly merged into this week's Linux 6.12-rc4 kernel was a patch that removes a number of kernel maintainers from being noted in the official MAINTAINERS file that recognizes all of the driver and subsystem maintainers...

https://www.phoronix.com/news/Russian-Linux-Maintainers-Drop

[Signals Intelligence]

Love the over the counter ambiguity, seems like a start to some great drama
Wonder how doing this even benefits them

[chuckula]

If there is actual evidence that a certain kernel maintainer has been doing something fishy then kick him out, no problem.
However, I'm not a fan of people being kicked out just based on nationality.

[ojsl1]

Russian trolls landing in T minus minutes

[gabber]

I sure hope there's more to this then virtue signaling.

[shmerl]

Russia very quickly became North Korea like in this sense, so it's completely not surprising. I.e. imagine North Korea having kernel maintainers? Same thing here. They probably see it as a matter of security. I.e. how are they to differentiate between fascist state controlling things or independent maintainers?

[Moltke]

Russiaphobia got Linux? lol

[V1tol]

Well that is kinda understandable, but at the same time not. AFAIK, sanctions do not apply to OSS development. Also you should have at least some argumentation why maintainers were removed. And everybody were talking for years that Linux kernel has not enough maintainers. And after this move when you are being maintainer and then poof you are not just adds another one reason to stay away from kernel development.

[StarterX4]

Just a politically motivated move. If they weren't causing any harm, then there was no reason to kick them out.

[juxuanu]

I'm pretty sure everyone from Israel is still allowed. Double moral of the west, once again.