TravisNewman
May 27th, 2005, 04:25 AM
As an official Ubuntu Member, I have to sign a copy of the Code of Conduct and send it to Mako. I re-read it when I did this, and I think some things are overlooked from time to time. This is the "contract" that we must all follow. When we, the moderators, make decisions, this is our governing document. It is your responsibility to know what is in the Code of Conduct. I'm quoting it here so that it's easy for everyone to get to.
Introduction
Desmond Tutu described ubuntu in the following way:
"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."
-- 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.
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.
Mailing Lists and Web Forums
Mailing lists and web forums are an important part of the Ubuntu community
platform. This code of conduct applies very much to your behaviour in those
forums too. Please follow these guidelines in addition to the general code of
conduct:
1. Please use a valid email address to which direct responses can be made.
2. Please avoid flamewars, trolling, personal attacks, and repetitive
arguments. On technical matters, the Technical Review Board can make a
final decision. On matters of community governance, the Community Council
can make a final decision.
Introduction
Desmond Tutu described ubuntu in the following way:
"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."
-- 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.
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.
Mailing Lists and Web Forums
Mailing lists and web forums are an important part of the Ubuntu community
platform. This code of conduct applies very much to your behaviour in those
forums too. Please follow these guidelines in addition to the general code of
conduct:
1. Please use a valid email address to which direct responses can be made.
2. Please avoid flamewars, trolling, personal attacks, and repetitive
arguments. On technical matters, the Technical Review Board can make a
final decision. On matters of community governance, the Community Council
can make a final decision.