[llvm-dev] RFC: Introducing an LLVM Community Code of Conduct

David Chisnall via llvm-dev llvm-dev at lists.llvm.org
Tue Oct 13 10:23:33 PDT 2015


On 13 Oct 2015, at 17:51, Renato Golin via llvm-dev <llvm-dev at lists.llvm.org> wrote:
> 
> On 13 October 2015 at 17:16, Kuperstein, Michael M via llvm-dev
> <llvm-dev at lists.llvm.org> wrote:
>> The FreeBSD CoC is, IMHO, much better in this respect ( https://www.freebsd.org/internal/code-of-conduct.html ).
> 
> Nice! This is so succinct and beautiful!

As one of the authors of this CoC, I’d add a big caveat that it’s a working document and that there are several issues with it in the current form.  I absolutely would not recommend any other community adopting it as-is, though hopefully soon we’ll have a more final version.

> It doesn't need an overseeing foundation to take opaque decisions, and
> focus on what's really important: the code.

Note that we can do this in FreeBSD, because we have an elected Core Team.  The FreeBSD Foundation has spent the last 15 or so years finding its current role (and has offered the LLVM Foundation the benefit of this experience).  Unlike the Foundation, which is an independent entity from the project (though one that consults with Core on a regular basis and provides valuable services to the project), Core is 100% accountable to the FreeBSD project.  Every two years, anyone active committer (defined as someone who has committed something to a FreeBSD repository in the last year) is entitled to vote for the new Core Team (and, of course, to stand for election).

This means that the final authority for any issue with the project rests with the committers: if a Core Team is seen as not representing the views of the project, then it can be replaced.  Thus, having Core as the enforcers of the CoC is not delegating administration of the community outside of the community.

No Code of Conduct can work if it is externally imposed - it must codify what the community believes is acceptable behaviour, allow people outside of the community to understand the ideals of that community, and present a clear line for members of the community to understand where they’ve crossed it.  As I’ve recently learned, this is a nontrivial endeavour.

> I particularly like "Do not make it personal. Do not take it
> personally.". It means *so* much in such a short sentence.

Of course, it does have some good points :-)

David



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