Code of Conduct

Christel Dahlskjaer  Author
Joshua Saddler  Editor
Marien Zwart  Reviewer
Bryan Østergaard  Reviewer
Chris Gianelloni  Reviewer
Roy Marples  Reviewer
Mike Frysinger  Reviewer
Stephen Bennett  Contributor
Mike Doty  Contributor
Robin H. Johnson  Contributor
Seemant Kulleen  Contributor
Danny van Dyk  Contributor
Jim Ramsay  Contributor
Christina Fullam  Editor

Updated March 15, 2007

1.  Draft disclaimer

Important: This document is an ongoing work, subject to growth and revision as Gentoo grows and changes.

2.  Scope

Joining and participation agreement

Gentoo prides itself on being a community driven distribution that acts with the best interest of the community at heart. Rules and regulations that keep us all moving in a forward direction are a reality for a community of this size.

This document describes Gentoo's Code of Conduct for public communication mediums, who shall enforce said Code of Conduct, the action taken should the Code of Conduct be broken, as well as the method for appeals. Questions about this document and its contents can be directed to the council at council@gentoo.org.

Important: By joining and/or participating in the Gentoo community, you are stating that you accept and agree to adhere to the rules listed below, even if you do not explicitly state so.

3.  Behaviour and Consequences

Acceptable behaviour

Things that should be seen:

Unacceptable behaviour

Gentoo developers have come together with a common purpose, to further the project. Conflicts will undoubtedly arise, and though you are encouraged to work through issues on your own, assistance is available as requested and as needed.

Deciding to suspend or ban someone isn't a decision to be taken lightly, but sometimes it has to happen. Below is a list of things that could result in disciplinary action.

Consequences

Disciplinary action will be up to the descretion of the proctors. What is a proctor? A proctor is an official charged with the duty of maintaining good order. Currently this responsibility falls to two existing Gentoo projects: DevRel and UserRel.

If you perceive a breach of the Code of Conduct guidelines, let the appropriate proctors know. Though they will also be watching many of the public mediums for any problems, they can not be expected to catch everything. If the offender is a Gentoo developer, contact devrel@g.o, otherwise contact userrel@g.o.

The proctors will attempt to resolve the problem by talking to involved parties, potentially issuing warnings if appropriate. If the problem repeats itself, there are various options open to the proctors, including temporary or permanent suspension of a person's ability to post to mailing lists, removal of Bugzilla access, or in more severe cases suspension of developer privileges.

If discplinary measures are taken and the affected person wishes to appeal, appeals should be addressed to the Gentoo Council via email at council@g.o. To prevent conflicts of interest, Council members may not perform the duties of a proctor.

4.  Summary

If you are unsure whether or not something is OK to post/comment/etc, assume it isn't, and reconsider whether you need to post it. Remember that posts made to mailing lists are archived for perpetuity, and read by far more people than will be actively involved in any one thread. A comment made in anger can have far-reaching consequences that you might not have thought about at the time.

Remember, the moment you participate in a public discussion on Gentoo medium, you have made yourself a representative of the Gentoo community. We hope that you will not take this responsibility lightly, and will prove to be a positive force in it.