Rudolf Marek wrote:
Just out of curiosity why do we need this?
To communicate to the rest of the world that these are our values.
Was there some problem now or in the past?
I'd say that there were small ones, probably mostly arising from our review process, which can create a lot of frustration.
I just read the c c of c and I got this impression that we must be really bad that we need regulation & arbitration.
Remember that everyone is different, so another person may get a very different impression.
I personally think of a code of conduct as a sort of asshole filter. Yes it is "regulation" but it also reminds me to behave well and, more importantly, *not* to accept if someone behaves badly!
People in general *are* really bad. The internet and open source projects are sadly no exception, sometimes quite the opposite.
I have personal experience with completely inappropriate behavior in other projects, and a code of conduct would have been helpful there.
It would have established a mindset and expectations on behavior within the community, ensuring that the inappropriate behavior would not have been accepted. Maybe you have also read Lennart Poettering's comments on how bad some people have treated him online, only because they disagree with what he works on and his software architecture ideas.
If nothing like this ever happened I would like to see some statement that this c c of c is there just to comply with future problems
I certainly think that the code of conduct is valuable for our future.
It is a clear statement saying "this is how we roll".
//Peter