Here is the full breakdown of John Sokol's involvement, with sources and direct links:
John Sokol at DebConf6 — Referenced Account
1. Background & Relationship with Ted Walther
Sokol had known Ted Walther for a long time and the two shared a room at DebConf6. He described it as his first experience with the Debian community, where he knew almost nobody.
Their professional collaboration is documented at LWN.net: 👉 https://lwn.net/Articles/203971/Sokol (as editor of Video Technology Magazine) and Walther had worked together on the "vivi" Virtual Video driver project for the Linux kernel, completed just before DebConf6.
2. Witnessing the Rumor Campaign
From Sokol's own Slashdot comment, posted May 23, 2006 @ 11:02AM: 👉 https://slashdot.org/story/06/05/22/2241210/debconf6-hot-and-spicy
He described how Ted had invited Hilda, a friend of a local ISP owner who ran a dental administration company. He stated that rumors spreading that she was a prostitute were "definitely not true," as he was personally present when Ted met her at a local internet café.
He also observed that throughout the conference, a small group of about 10 people seemed to be targeting Walther — possibly because he was outspoken or had sent emails challenging Debian management.
3. Physically Stopping the Confrontation
This is the most significant detail, from Sokol's Slashdot comment posted May 23, 2006 @ 10:40AM: 👉 https://slashdot.org/story/06/05/22/2241210/debconf6-hot-and-spicy
After the rumor campaign failed to drive Walther away, around 7 people rushed him and became agitated and violent. Sokol, describing himself as "a fairly big guy," was standing in the doorway at the time and intervened — preventing people from pushing Walther and innocent bystanders over a two-foot ledge that dropped to the street.
He stated plainly: "As someone who actually prevented the fight — there were no punches actually thrown."
This physical intervention is also corroborated at Daniel Pocock's blog: 👉 https://danielpocock.com/en/violence-sexism-racism-fosdem-debconf-froscon-debian-osi/
And referenced in the Debian Conflict of Interest Register: 👉 https://danielpocock.com/debian-conflict-of-interest-register/ Which describes how Moray Allan and Holger Levsen physically manhandled Walther across the dining hall toward the door, where they were intercepted by John (Sokol).
4. Loaning Ted Money to Leave Safely
At the end of the night, when buses were arranged to return attendees to the venue, Sokol loaned Walther money so that Ted and Hilda could leave safely together.
5. Public Advocacy on Slashdot After the Event
From Sokol's later comment, May 23, 2006 @ 7:47PM: 👉 https://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=186405&cid=15390611
He challenged the official Debian justification for Walther's expulsion, noting that the letter from Debian leader Anthony Towns only used vague terms like "disruptions," "disturbances," and "provoke" without giving specifics. He pointed out that even requesting kosher food was apparently being counted against Walther.
He also disputed claims about "Nazi propaganda," arguing this was based on people never having read the actual material or understanding its context.
He noted he had personally tried to inquire politely about the reasons for the expulsion and received no satisfactory answer, writing that "no one has been willing to state a real reason why he was attacked or kicked out of the project."
Summary of Sources
| Source | URL |
|---|---|
| Slashdot main thread | https://slashdot.org/story/06/05/22/2241210/debconf6-hot-and-spicy |
| Sokol's specific comment (7:47PM) | https://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=186405&cid=15390611 |
| Daniel Pocock's analysis | https://danielpocock.com/en/violence-sexism-racism-fosdem-debconf-froscon-debian-osi/ |
| Debian Conflict of Interest Register | https://danielpocock.com/debian-conflict-of-interest-register/ |
| LWN vivi driver article | https://lwn.net/Articles/203971/ |
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