Re: Code Of Conduct

["Murray Cumming" <murrayc murrayc com>]

> I would hate to see us resort to written, legalistic rules

If your lawyer wrote rules like these then you'd have to fire him. I'm
aiming for something warm and friendly. You are right to be wary of rules
for their own sake. But I think it's OK to say what standard of behaviour
is required in a general way.

Even Ubuntu's Code of Conduct is not very legalistic, but I still found it
unnecessarily beaurocratic when I first saw it. However, it seems to be
very effective, and I'd like some of that effect in GNOME.

> (which
> encourage gaming and letter-of-law over spirit-of-law) when a strong
> culture should suffice, particularly at our size. What it feels like
> such a thing advertises is 'we're so weak we need rules where common
> sense and politeness should suffice', not 'we care.'
>
> Additionally, this feels like a solution looking for a problem- have
> we ever had significant problems stopping aggressive or rude behavior?

Apparently, yes: This is one plausible explanation for our disastrous (1%)
female involvement and low asian involvement. That 1% is so scary that I
can't see how we can make it worse, so I'm for all kinds of crazy
experiments to fix it.

I do think GNOME is better than most though. I'd like to use this code of
conduct to advertise that we are better.

> We haven't had any of it on any of the primary mailing lists since
> crazy orb-boy that I can remember, and that was dealt with fairly
> promptly.


Murray Cumming
murrayc murrayc com
www.murrayc.com
www.openismus.com