Ubuntu Code of Conduct - 2.0
This is the current version of this code of conduct.
= Ubuntu Code of Conduct v2.0 =
== 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 and
skills.
We gain strength from diversity, and actively seek participation from
those who enhance it. This code of conduct exists to ensure that
diverse groups collaborate to mutual advantage and enjoyment. We will
challenge prejudice that could jeopardise the participation of any
person in the project.
The Code of Conduct governs how we behave in public or in private
whenever the project will be judged by our actions. We expect it to be
honored by everyone who represents the project officially or
informally, claims affiliation with the project, or participates
directly.
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 consider them when making decisions.
'''Be respectful.'''
Disagreement is no excuse for poor manners. We work together to
resolve conflict, assume good intentions and do our best to act in
an empathic fashion. We don't allow 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.'''
What we produce 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 the project 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 this 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, starting
with the Community Council ("CC"). That Council or its delegated
representative will arbitrate in any dispute.
We are a meritocracy; we delegate decision making, governance and
leadership from senior bodies to the most able and engaged candidates.
'''Support for delegation is measured'''
Nominations to the boards and councils are at the discretion of the
Community Council, however the Community Council will seek the input
of the community before confirming appointments.
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.
'''We value discussion, data and decisiveness.'''
We gather opinions, data and commitments from concerned parties before
taking a decision. We expect leaders to help teams come to a decision
in a reasonable time, to seek guidance or be willing to take the
decision themselves when consensus is lacking, and to take
responsibility for implementation.
The poorest decision of all is no decision: clarity of direction has
value in itself. Sometimes all the data are not available, or
consensus is elusive. A decision must still be made. There is no
guarantee of a perfect decision every time - we prefer to err, learn,
and err less in future than to postpone action indefinitely.
We recognise that the project works better when we trust the teams
closest to a problem to make the decision for the project. If we learn
of a decision that we disagree with, we can engage the relevant team
to find common ground, and failing that, we have a governance
structure that can review the decision. Ultimately, if a decision has
been taken by the people responsible for it, and is supported by the
project governance, it will stand. None of us expects to agree with
every decision, and we value highly the willingness to stand by the
project and help it deliver even on the occasions when we ourselves
may prefer a different route.
'''Open meritocracy.'''
We invite anybody, from any company, to participate in any aspect of
the project. Our community 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 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
such 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. Communicating changes
and their reasoning clearly and early on is as important as the
implementation of the change itself.
'''Conflicts of Interest'''
We expect leaders to be aware when they are conflicted due to
employment or other projects they are involved in, and abstain or
delegate decisions that may be seen to be self-interested. We expect
that everyone who participates in the project does so with the goal of
making life better for its users.
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.
This Code is not exhaustive or complete. It is not a rulebook; it
serves to distill our common understanding of a collaborative, shared
environment and goals. We expect it to be followed in spirit as much
as in the letter.
'''The Ubuntu Code of Conduct is licensed under the
[[http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/|Creative Commons
Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 license]]. You may re-use it for your own
project, and modify it as you wish, just please allow others to use
your modifications and give credit to the Ubuntu Project!'''
