William Chambers

= Ubuntu Code of Conduct v2.0 DRAFT =

== Community ==

Ubuntu is about showing humanity to one another, the word itself
captures the spirit of being human.

We want a productive, happy and agile community that can welcome new
ideas in a complex field, improve every process every year, and foster
collaboration between groups with very different needs, interests,
skills and goals.

We gain strength from diversity, and actively seek participation from
those who enhance it. This code of conduct exists to ensure an
environment in which diverse groups collaborate to mutual advantage
and enjoyment. We value diversity in age, culture, ethnicity,
genotype, gender identity or expression, language, national origin,
neurotype, phenotype, political beliefs, profession, race, religion,
sexuality, socio-economic status, subculture and technical ability.

We expect everyone who participates in Ubuntu, represents the project
officially or informally, or claims affiliation with the project, to
honour this Code of Conduct in public or private correspondence. It
governs how we behave when Ubuntu will be judged by our actions.

NOTE: Umm, My private discussions are my own. This is nonsense, just because I work with the project doesn't mean I represent it 24/7.

Ubuntu governance bodies are ultimately accountable to the Ubuntu
Community Council ("CC"). That Council or its delegated representative
will arbitrate in any dispute.

We strive to

  '''Be considerate.'''

  Our work will be used by other people, and we in turn will depend on
  the work of others. Any decision we take will affect users and
  colleagues, and we should take those consequences into account when
  making decisions.

  '''Be respectful.'''

  Everyone can make a valuable contribution to Ubuntu. We may not
  always agree, but disagreement is no excuse for poor manners. We
  will all experience some frustration now and then, but we don't
  allow that frustration to turn into a personal attack. A community
  where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive
  one.

  '''Take responsibility for our words and our actions.'''

  We can all make mistakes; when we do, we take responsibility for
  them. If someone has been harmed or offended, we listen carefully
  and respectfully, and work to right the wrong.

  '''Be collaborative.'''

  Ubuntu is a complex whole made of many parts, it is the sum of many
  dreams. Collaboration between teams that each have their own goal
  and vision is essential; for the whole to be more than the sum of
  its parts, each part must make an effort to understand the whole.

  Collaboration reduces redundancy and improves the quality of our
  work. Internally and externally, we celebrate good collaboration.
  Wherever possible, we work closely with upstream projects and others
  in the free software community to coordinate our efforts.

  We prefer to work transparently and involve interested parties as
  early as possible.

  '''Value decisiveness, clarity and consensus.'''

  Disagreements, social and technical, are normal, but we do not allow
  them to persist and fester leaving others uncertain of the agreed
  direction.

  We expect participants in Ubuntu to resolve disagreements
  constructively. When they cannot, we escalate the matter to
  structures with designated leaders to arbitrate and provide clarity
  and direction.

  '''Ask for help when unsure.'''

  Nobody is expected to be perfect in the Ubuntu community. Asking
  questions early avoids many problems later, so questions are
  encouraged, though they may be directed to the appropriate forum.
  Those who are asked should be responsive and helpful.

  '''Step down considerately.'''

  When somebody leaves or disengages from the project, we ask that
  they do so in a way that minimises disruption to the project. They
  should tell people they are leaving and take the proper steps to
  ensure that others can pick up where they left off.


== Leadership, Authority and Responsibility ==

We all lead by example, in debate and in action. We encourage new
participants to feel empowered to lead, to take action, and to
experiment when they feel innovation could improve the project.
Leadership can be exercised by anyone simply by taking action, there
is no need to wait for recognition when the opportunity to lead
presents itself.

'''Delegation from the top.'''

Responsibility for the project starts with the "benevolent dictator",
who delegates specific responsibilities and the corresponding
authority to a series of teams, councils and individuals.

We believe in meritocracy; we delegate decision making, governance and
leadership from senior bodies to the most able and engaged candidates.

'''Support for delegation is measured from the bottom up.'''

We test delegation with a poll of the relevant members of the
community. For example, while nomination to the Technical Board ("TB")
is at the discretion of the CC, candidates must also pass a poll of
developers.  Similarly, when the TB or CC delegate responsibility to a
team, or nominate people to such a team, relevant portions of the
community must show their support for the delegation to succeed.

Leadership is not an award, right, or title; it is a privilege, a
responsibility and a mandate. A leader will only retain their
authority as long as they retain the support of those who delegated
that authority to them.

'''Decisiveness has value in itself.'''

We value decisiveness and delivery. We delegate to unblock decision
making and keep the project moving forward. We value debate, but are
mindful that excessive debate stalls and creates confusion.

NOTE: No debate here, this should be the end of this topic.

We respect decisions made by those who were asked to take them.

NOTE: Why do we respect the decisions? Many are dumb, I don't respect them. That doesn't mean I don't respect the person but I don't have to respect the decisions.

Those who do the work make the decisions and we do not expect to
delay, debate or discuss any decision after the fact, except through
escalation to a more senior governance body. If you care about
releases, join the release team and help shape their decisions. If you
think a mistake has been made, engage with the relevant team, and if
you think it is a genuine failure, escalate it in our governance
structure. But ultimately, we recognise that Ubuntu works better when
we trust the teams closest to a problem to make the decision for the
project.

NOTE: So all decisions are final? That makes utterly no sense, why complain to a higher team when the original one would be more familer with it. The method of dealing with teams really has no relation to 'conduct' either.

'''Open meritocracy.'''

We invite anybody, from any company, to participate in any aspect of
the project. Ubuntu is open, and any responsibility can be carried by
any contributor who demonstrates the required capacity and competence.

'''Teamwork'''

A leader's foremost goal is the success of the team.

"A virtuoso is judged by their actions; a leader is judged by the
actions of their team." A leader in Ubuntu knows when to act and when
to step back. They know when to delegate work, and when to take it
upon themselves.

'''Credit'''

A good leader does not seek the limelight, but celebrates team members
for the work they do. Leaders may be more visible than members of the
team, good ones use that visibility to highlight the great work of
others.

'''Courage and considerateness'''

Leadership occasionally requires bold decisions, that will not be
widely understood, consensual or popular. We value the courage to take
bold decisions, because they enable the project as a whole to move
forward faster than we could if we required complete consensus.
Nevertheless, boldness demands considerateness; take bold decisions,
but do so mindful of the challenges they present for others, and work
to soften the impact of those decisions on them.

NOTE: The only reason this is here is so Canonical can hide behind the Code of Conduct and attack anyone in the community who disagrees. It has absoutly no relation to the CoC and shouldn't be here.

'''Conflicts of Interest'''

We expect leaders to be aware when they are conflicted, and abstain or
delegate decisions that may be seen to be self-interested.

When in doubt, ask for a second opinion. Perceived conflicts of
interest are important to address; as a leader, act to ensure that
decisions are credible even if they must occasionally be unpopular,
difficult or favourable to the interests of one group over another.

NOTE: Ironic to see this...

'''Leadership in the broader interest'''

We expect that leaders hold the interests of the team and the Ubuntu
community above those of themselves, their employer, and other
projects.

NOTE: No. I am not pledging to a blood cult, I am not a member of the Mob and I am not a newly enlisted grunt working for a dictator. I will never agree to this.


This Code is not exhaustive or complete. It is not a rulebook; it
serves to distill our common understanding of the meaning of Ubuntu in
the context of this project; we expect it to be followed in spirit as
much as in the letter.

NOTE: Exactly, it's not a rulebook and this draft is trying to turn it into that. Keep the Code of Conduct related to resonable discussions and responsible actions. Then stop.