# The Ubuntu Forum Community > Ubuntu Community Discussions > Resolution Centre >  To whom it concerns

## cosimo

Hello,

First let me include the code of conduct here ;
Ubuntu is an African concept of "humanity towards others". It's "the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity". The same ideas are central to the way the Ubuntu community collaborates. Members of the Ubuntu community need to work together effectively, and this code of conduct lays down the "ground rules" for our cooperation.

If you are going to sign the code of conduct, you can find the canonical (!) copy for signing online here.
Introduction

Desmond Tutu described ubuntu in the following way:

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"A person with ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole."
o

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, in No Future Without Forgiveness

We chose the name Ubuntu for this distribution because we think it captures perfectly the spirit of sharing and cooperation that is at the heart of the open source movement. In the Free Software world, we collaborate freely on a volunteer basis to build software for everyone's benefit. We improve on the work of others, which we have been given freely, and then share our improvements on the same basis.

That collaboration depends on good relationships between developers. To this end, we've agreed on the following code of conduct to help define the ways that we think collaboration and cooperation should work.
Ubuntu Code of Conduct

This Code of Conduct covers your behaviour as a member of the Ubuntu Community, in any forum, mailing list, wiki, web site, IRC channel, install-fest, public meeting or private correspondence. The Ubuntu Community Council will arbitrate in any dispute over the conduct of a member of the community.

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Be considerate. Your work will be used by other people, and you in turn will depend on the work of others. Any decision you take will affect users and colleagues, and we expect you to take those consequences into account when making decisions. For example, when we are in a feature freeze, please don't upload dramatically new versions of critical system software, as other people will be testing the frozen system and not be expecting big changes.

Be respectful. The Ubuntu community and its members treat one another with respect. Everyone can make a valuable contribution to Ubuntu. We may not always agree, but disagreement is no excuse for poor behaviour and poor manners. We might all experience some frustration now and then, but we cannot allow that frustration to turn into a personal attack. It's important to remember that a community where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive one. We expect members of the Ubuntu community to be respectful when dealing with other contributors as well as with people outside the Ubuntu project, and with users of Ubuntu.

Be collaborative. Ubuntu and Free Software are about collaboration and working together. Collaboration reduces redundancy of work done in the Free Software world, and improves the quality of the software produced. You should aim to collaborate with other Ubuntu maintainers, as well as with the upstream community that is interested in the work you do. Your work should be done transparently and patches from Ubuntu should be given back to the community when they are made, not just when the distribution releases. If you wish to work on new code for existing upstream projects, at least keep those projects informed of your ideas and progress. It may not be possible to get consensus from upstream or even from your colleagues about the correct implementation of an idea, so don't feel obliged to have that agreement before you begin, but at least keep the outside world informed of your work, and publish your work in a way that allows outsiders to test, discuss and contribute to your efforts.

When you disagree, consult others. Disagreements, both political and technical, happen all the time and the Ubuntu community is no exception. The important goal is not to avoid disagreements or differing views but to resolve them constructively. You should turn to the community and to the community process to seek advice and to resolve disagreements. We have the Technical Board and the Community Council, both of which will help to decide the right course for Ubuntu. There are also several Project Teams and Team Leaders, who may be able to help you figure out which direction will be most acceptable. If you really want to go a different way, then we encourage you to make a derivative distribution or alternative set of packages available using the Ubuntu Package Management framework, so that the community can try out your changes and ideas for itself and contribute to the discussion.

When you are unsure, ask for help. Nobody knows everything, and nobody is expected to be perfect in the Ubuntu community (except of course the SABDFL). Asking questions avoids many problems down the road, and so questions are encouraged. Those who are asked should be responsive and helpful. However, when asking a question, care must be taken to do so in an appropriate forum. Off-topic questions, such as requests for help on a development mailing list, detract from productive discussion.

Step down considerately. Developers on every project come and go and Ubuntu is no different. When you leave or disengage from the project, in whole or in part, we ask that you do so in a way that minimises disruption to the project. This means you should tell people you are leaving and take the proper steps to ensure that others can pick up where you leave off.

now let me include a letter my company, through me, has sent to ubuntu;

Let me preface this letter by saying, contact information for your
company is sketchy at best.
We have a small but thriving company in the US that was on the verge of
committing to a full support program of ubuntu.
However, having been on the official ubuntu channel on freenode and
having several members of out staff banned by the operator Seveas has
stopped our plans of support.
This operator has not followed the code of conduct by allowing
discussion of all topics concerning ubuntu to be freely discussed.
instead this individual continually banned indiscriminately.
Since we find this completely inconsistent with your code of conduct
while still allowing these people to continue having operator status ,
it has been decided that Your company, and therefore your OS is also
suspect.
We will no longer support or promote ubuntu. We will describe our
experience on these matters to all clients and in that way hopefully
prevent this OS and it's contradictory philosophies to continue.
I ,being the head of the residential division, and the individual
responsible for the companies plans to support ubuntu, have made a
personal commitment to stop the use of ubuntu, and have convinced the
company to do the same.
It is unfortunate that this has occurred.
We will not reconsider out stand on this.
All clients that have been convinced to switch to Ubuntu will, free of
charge, be brought back to the windows environment.
Microsoft's philosophies are clear cut. They are professional!
We do not deal with any company/organization that allows
non-professional behavior in a professional environment.
Since we have not been the only individuals banned by Seveas, that
this has been going on for some time, and that you have not removed this
individual from operator status, it is clear that your approach is non
professional.
Although we are well aware that our small company will have, in and of
itself, little influence as to the outcome of your operating system's
success, we do have a large blanket of associates affiliated with other
companies, across the US that respect our opinions.
I personally have been banned by this Seveas and, as I have said, the
individual responsible for the companies interest in Ubuntu and now it's
refusal to support the OS.
Thank you
Mr. Del Signore

i want to add again, that it is truly unfortunate that this individual has been responsible for a companies refusal to support Ubuntu.
I have personally stopped using the Os and will continue uing a more prfessional, and reliable Os, ie windows.
I, and the company, will continue to be adversaries of ubuntu, until which time individuals, such as Seveas and others representing ubuntu, are removed from these forums and replaced with individuals who do not have a problem following the rules of conduct explicitly.
The letter above has been and will continue to be sent out until Cononical/Ubuntu make serious changes.
Since the company has informed me that it will not change it's mind and return to supporting Ubuntu, the only changes that will take place in the company will be on a personal level of the company members.
On a personal note,
To all seeking help with Ubuntu , I suggest NOT going to the official ubuntu channel but rather the ubuntuforums channel on freenode.
Here you will have to opportunity to find solutions to your problems, after having sought help on the forums, and the internet without success. you will find reliable , and mature operators that will listen and help with your situation, as well as individuals who are making real contributions to Ubuntu. You will NOT have to worry about an operator banning you for discussing an issue that the operator feels is inappropriate. NOTHING is inapropriate discussion when it deals with Ubutnu. The ubuntuforums channel is in fact following the rules of conduct where as the Ubuntu channel DOES NOT!
thanks for reading

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## KiwiNZ

I am a little confused here . This has been posted in the forum resolution centre but it appears that you have no issue with Ubuntu Forums or the #ubuntuforums IRC Channel.

Your issue appears to be with #ubuntu. Is this correct?

If so then you should direct your issues to the more appropriate place being the Community Council. You can get more information here... http://ubuntulinux.org/community/processes/council.
Details of the next Council meeting is here... https://wiki.ubuntu.com/CommunityCouncilAgenda

Please advise if the above is correct and if we can mark this as resolved being not an issue with forum.

Thanks

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## KiwiNZ

> Just an idea: #ubuntu is a very popular channel often targeted by spam bots. When that happens, some mass bans on certain IP ranges are put, and if you're affected you can choose to be exempted by getting a generic cloak (consult to the Freenode FAQ for help on this).


Cosima this may help as well . 

Thanks for that 23meg

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## KiwiNZ

If there is no further response on this thread I will mark as resolved and close in 24 hours

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