request for comment re "contributor-covenant.org"

mo moritz at headstrong.de
Mon Jan 25 16:55:29 PST 2016


On Codes on Conduct
Allan MacGregor 1 day ago

https://medium.com/@allanmacgregor/on-codes-on-conduct-37f3247b5e49

Recently, there has been a lot of controversy and discussion surrounding
the adoption of a code of conduct for the PHP project; there has been
endless back and forth between proponents and opponents of the motion.
I’ve debated if I should publish my opinions on the subject or simply
remain quite and hope for the best; however as emails from the internals
list continued to flood my inbox, I found it harder and harder to just
sit idly silent.

The following article(s) are heavily opinionated and there is a very
good chance that you will disagree with my position and my arguments,
the topic by is very nature is extremely contentious and of a sensitive
nature. However, they say that disagreement fosters communication and
the exchange of ideas; and I’m hoping that is true in this case. With
that said, let’s jump into the topic at hand and start talking about
code of conduct.

[...]

Unfortunately, as most things in the real world it is not as simple as
it sounds and we need to at least be aware of the consequences, side
effects, and political baggage documents like a code of conduct can have.

Let’s start by taking a closer look to the Code of Conduct original
proposed for the PHP project:

contributor-covenant.org

[...]

If we are truly talking about creating a welcoming and open community,
then we need to listen and address the concerns of detractors as much as
we do for the proponents of the CoC; after all, the goal is equality and
fairness; is it not?

Even without accounting for this scenario, getting banned from
contribution under the accusation of misconduct could cause problems in
the real world and their work; you could get you banned from
conferences, affect publishing deals, in short, it could royally mess up
with your career.

As it stands, the current proposal for the Code of Conduct has hit an
impasse; the more the discussion seems to go on, the more it seems that
the proposal is attempting to setup a mini-judicial system; and speaking
candidly, the PHP community is not capable of pulling this off.

[...]



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