Why the Ubuntu philosophy and Ubuntu Code of Conduct are so important

[aleska]

A truly idiotic article on slate.com today got my attention. It helped me to come to two important observations: 1) elitist jerks stink and 2) the Ubuntu philosophy and Ubuntu Code of Conduct are really fantastic. Here is a brief editorial on the subject, titled, "Elitist Haters Suck - Why Ubuntu Rocks! (http://www.skarulis.com/?p=36)"; I hope you enjoy and agree. I also hope you take a few moments and read the Ubuntu Code of Conduct (https://launchpad.net/codeofconduct/1.0.1).
Cheers! - aleska

[fuscia]

ubuntu code? tl/dr. if ubuntu didn't work, the philosophy wouldn't mean a damn thing. in fact, the effort to try to sneak something like that under the radar is something i don't like. nothing's perfect, so no big whoop.

[aleska]

Sure, and in general any company's mission statement and vision statement is meaningless too if they don't provide a valuable product or service. Who can argue with that? But I think it is unfair to characterize this a trying to sneak something under the radar. It simply isn't true.
Hey, no one is forcing you to drink the juice. Signing the code isn't a pre-requisite for anything other than saying you have. You don't want to agree to it. Fine. No one says you have to.
Frankly, as long as you aren't coming across as a pompous elitist jerk, you are probably ok in most peoples' books.
My observation, whether a result of an overarching philosophy or just dumb luck, is that members of this community DO in fact treat each other with respect.
Of course you could prove me wrong if you so wanted. ;)

[Hobbsee]

"Signing the code isn't a pre-requisite for anything other than saying you have. You don't want to agree to it. Fine. No one says you have to."

Actually, you do to go for ubuntu/kubuntu/edubuntu membership.

It cuts down on the flamewars, etc, which is always a good thing. part of the reason ubuntu is so good is because the developers all work together, instead of flaming one another or something.

[Rhapsody]

I just interpret the Ubuntu Code of Conduct as:

"Be nice, don't swear at people, if you want to demean and insult people, gb2/b/."

So far, this interpretation has kept me out of trouble.

[Garyu]

I think that the Ubuntu philosophy was almost as important as the actual packaging when I got stuck to this OS. There are other distro's that work, but none of them have the kind of community that Ubuntu has.

I might be wrong, but I have also noted a slight change in the mentality in the community (read: this forum) since I started using Ubuntu full time and threw out windows in january 2006. Maybe I am just engaging in the wrong kind of threads or something, lately I have been hanging out a lot in The Backyard, but I come across more people who are less friendly and open-minded than I used to. As I said, the ubuntu philosophy is important to me, it makes me feel at home. I grew up in a very christian environment where altruism and giving without expecting anything in return were important values. Now don't turn this into a religious debate, I am no longer a christian as I have discovered a lot of things and built a new foundation for my philosophy of life. However, it feels good to think that there IS some good in humanity and that people can actually treat others with respect and with the wish to contribute rather than demean and slander.

For me, this will always be an important topic, and I'm glad someone else is appreciating it. :cool: