[arianvanp]

Would like to add some needed context (at least I think it's needed):

* This started out because NixOS mastodon account posted on chaos.social local timeline which is rather German Mastodon instance with a strict no-military-content-without-content-warnings moderation policy. People got angry for NixOS posting about the sponsor there and started complaining en masse to drop it. I think most people complaining aren't affiliated with NixOS at all but I'm sure there were also attendees of the conference complaining on Mastodon.

* NixCon is a (compared to other open source conferences like kubecon) extremely small community conference, organised by volunteers who have been under immense pressure this week to pull off all the organisation whilst also having to handle this drama on Mastodon.

* We as a community should definitely discuss during the conference this weekend what we're gonna have as policies for sponsorship going forward. Because as far as I know we haven't had any real formal policies regarding NixCon organisation at all. It has always been kind of community-driven.

* This year the role of the NixOS foundation has been made way more clear in the NixOS community. Before it really was just an entity for receiving donations but it did not actively do anything community building. I'm happy that we have an active Foundation board now that isn't just an administrative formality but an actual voice that can make statements.

* NixOS foundation is having a board meeting today and will have a more clear statement later from what I understand

* I am looking forward to Nixcon this weekend despite this hiccup. And I'm sure we'll figure it out.

Edit:

Also for context a statement from the founder of Anduril: https://twitter.com/PalmerLuckey/status/1699590452847272044

[zimbatm]

A key aspect is that we discovered very late that TU Dresden has their own policies against military association that we weren't aware of. We would have had to fill in ton of paperwork, and potentially lose the place.

This is what I tried to communicate to Anduril via email but it must have been lost in translation.

[xyzzyz]

Maybe then tweet something to the effect of “we are extremely sorry, and we would love to continue having Anduril as sponsor and part of the community, but because of a screw up on our part, we didn’t realize we need to comply with venue requirements, so we need to drop Anduril just this single time”. Should be easy, no? That is, unless the TU Dresden policies is only a pretextual reason for this.

[jkachmar]

extremely disappointing that y’all needed the venue to impose this decision.

as said by a friend this morning:

> i, personally, would not accept money from the company actively militarizing the southern US border but that's just me

[mlindner]

> as said by a friend this morning:

> > i, personally, would not accept money from the company actively militarizing the southern US border but that's just me

Anduril is not "militarizing" the southern border. They're adding observation stations (funded by the Biden administration mind you) so that who is crossing the border illegally is known. There's no weapons on these things or something.

[joepie91_]

No, the weapons come later. The "observation stations" just determine who they will be pointed at. That's different, right?

[mlindner]

There is no contract to provide weapons on the border nor has any official stated they are interested in doing so. It's just pointless hyperbole.

[pxc]

People die crossing the border trying to avoid those cameras, because it forces them through the most dangerous parts of the desert.

The same tech is deeply wrapped up in the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

It's absolutely absurd to pretend that the whole business of border enforcement tech is not stained with blood.

If you're interested in the relevant US history and why it's characterized as militarization and violence by those opposed to it, I recommend this book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7861.No_One_Is_Illegal

(The book has a point of view and makes no apologies for that. But if you want to see why people who disagree with you see the US border and its enforcement the way they do, it will provide that for you.)

[madars]

>whilst also having to handle this drama on Mastodon

What do you mean by "having to"? It is unreasonable to set a standard where every single complaint on social media deserves a reply. Either the sponsor is dropped or it is not -- where is the handling?

[abathur]

I guess it may also be meaningful context that the account posting the link on HN indicates that it is affiliated with Anduril.

[busterarm]

Is it? Did they say anything deceptive or dishonest? It's just a link submission.

[abathur]

You can obviously conclude that it isn't relevant. Or that it is, but interpret it differently.

I've edited to soften; I intentionally omitted interpretation. It's just context (that you may or may not see as meaningful).

[sremani]

thanks for providing some context here.