Gentoo Archives: gentoo-dev

From: "M. Edward (Ed) Borasky" <znmeb@×××××××.net>
To: gentoo-dev@l.g.o
Subject: [gentoo-dev] A User's View of the Code of Conduct
Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2007 18:08:33
Message-Id: 45F83429.6000607@cesmail.net
1 I joined this list mostly to talk about the proposed code of conduct.
2 Let me state the context up front:
3
4 1. Some of you know I am a loyal Gentoo user. I run three
5 "testing-level" (pure ~x86 with an occasional local package mask when
6 something croaks) systems, I beta-test stuff I'm interested in, etc. I'd
7 volunteer as a developer if I had the time to do more than test stuff
8 and all that. Maybe when I retire from my day job. :)
9
10 2. I don't have any visibility into what exactly is going on in the
11 developer portion of the Gentoo community. But I can emphatically state
12 that it *doesn't* seem to be showing up as a reduction in quality of
13 what's coming onto my systems when I emerge a package! I don't run
14 anything else, like Ubuntu, Fedora, openSuSE or Debian, so I can't
15 compare Gentoo with the others.
16
17 3. I *have* read the dire comments on Distrowatch, but not much of the
18 auxiliary blogging. I don't visit the IRC channels and I don't in
19 general inhabit the forums. I am on quite a few of the mailing lists
20 and, given that I run ~x86, a frequent visitor to Bugzilla. If the dire
21 predictions are true -- if Gentoo dies -- most likely I will switch to
22 rPath/Conary and build my own distro, rather than leaping on the Fedora,
23 openSuSE, or Ubuntu/Debian bandwagon.
24
25 On to the code of conduct. My belief is that it's entirely too weak! I'd
26 prefer a strict "no asshole" code. Screw up once -- get a stern
27 reprimand and a 30-day suspension of all privileges. Screw up twice and
28 it's bye-bye forever! I think there are something like hundreds of
29 thousands of talented open source developers out there, ranging in age
30 from maybe 13 to mid-70s or maybe even higher. There are many more of
31 "us" than there are positions on *all* of the major community open
32 source projects -- Linux itself, GNU, Apache, Gentoo, Debian, Perl,
33 Python, Ruby, etc. Gentoo can afford to be choosy. I personally think
34 Gentoo can't afford *not* to be choosy, given that it has little (if
35 any) corporate support.
36
37 Finally, let me add that I've never personally experienced what I would
38 consider unacceptable treatment from a Gentoo community member,
39 developer, user, interested bystander, etc. Perhaps if I had, it would
40 change my views. But, as the saying goes, "where there's smoke, there's
41 fire," and I'd prefer not to inhale the smoke. :)
42
43 --
44 M. Edward (Ed) Borasky, FBG, AB, PTA, PGS, MS, MNLP, NST, ACMC(P)
45 http://borasky-research.blogspot.com/
46
47 If God had meant for carrots to be eaten cooked, He would have given rabbits fire.
48
49 --
50 gentoo-dev@g.o mailing list

Replies

Subject Author
Re: [gentoo-dev] A User's View of the Code of Conduct Larry Lines <larry@××××××××××.com>
Re: [gentoo-dev] A User's View of the Code of Conduct Kumba <kumba@g.o>