There's a lot of metadata about when/how they used git and IRC, and some preliminary analysis on same. Another surname in one of the commits. An apparent LinkedIn account. (See heading "OSINT" in https://boehs.org/node/everything-i-know-about-the-xz-backdo... .)

A lot of these tracks could be intentionally manipulated by a sophisticated actor to disguise their identity, but it's not "nothing".

Like I said, we don't know anything worth having a real discussion about. Maybe he was in the +03 time zone, and pretending to be in +08, but that's not enough to base a discussion on.

You're discussing it.

We are all speculating.

So this whole thread is based on the premise that the OP was using the formal definition of "discuss" rather than the informal one? Which is almost certainly not true?

Ya'll must be super fun at parties.

Either kind of discussion is useless since the "evidence" (timezone IDs in strings that are not required to have any relation whatsoever with reality) is flimsy to begin with.

LOL. You continue to discuss it.

We are quite far in a meta-discussion. Even less useful.

And... you continue to discuss it.

I'm going to stop now. You have quite effectively proven the opposite of your position.

No you see: you are not allowed to talk about hings if other users think it's unproductive. Cease having fun immediately.

We have both moved as far from the original topic as possible.