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1 | .. _code_of_conduct_interpretation: |
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3 | Linux Kernel Contributor Covenant Code of Conduct Interpretation |
4 | ================================================================ | |
5 | ||
f7e58584 | 6 | The :ref:`code_of_conduct` is a general document meant to |
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7 | provide a set of rules for almost any open source community. Every |
8 | open-source community is unique and the Linux kernel is no exception. | |
9 | Because of this, this document describes how we in the Linux kernel | |
10 | community will interpret it. We also do not expect this interpretation | |
11 | to be static over time, and will adjust it as needed. | |
12 | ||
13 | The Linux kernel development effort is a very personal process compared | |
14 | to "traditional" ways of developing software. Your contributions and | |
15 | ideas behind them will be carefully reviewed, often resulting in | |
16 | critique and criticism. The review will almost always require | |
17 | improvements before the material can be included in the | |
18 | kernel. Know that this happens because everyone involved wants to see | |
19 | the best possible solution for the overall success of Linux. This | |
20 | development process has been proven to create the most robust operating | |
21 | system kernel ever, and we do not want to do anything to cause the | |
22 | quality of submission and eventual result to ever decrease. | |
23 | ||
24 | Maintainers | |
25 | ----------- | |
26 | ||
27 | The Code of Conduct uses the term "maintainers" numerous times. In the | |
28 | kernel community, a "maintainer" is anyone who is responsible for a | |
29 | subsystem, driver, or file, and is listed in the MAINTAINERS file in the | |
30 | kernel source tree. | |
31 | ||
32 | Responsibilities | |
33 | ---------------- | |
34 | ||
35 | The Code of Conduct mentions rights and responsibilities for | |
36 | maintainers, and this needs some further clarifications. | |
37 | ||
38 | First and foremost, it is a reasonable expectation to have maintainers | |
39 | lead by example. | |
40 | ||
41 | That being said, our community is vast and broad, and there is no new | |
42 | requirement for maintainers to unilaterally handle how other people | |
43 | behave in the parts of the community where they are active. That | |
44 | responsibility is upon all of us, and ultimately the Code of Conduct | |
45 | documents final escalation paths in case of unresolved concerns | |
46 | regarding conduct issues. | |
47 | ||
48 | Maintainers should be willing to help when problems occur, and work with | |
49 | others in the community when needed. Do not be afraid to reach out to | |
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50 | the Technical Advisory Board (TAB) or other maintainers if you're |
51 | uncertain how to handle situations that come up. It will not be | |
52 | considered a violation report unless you want it to be. If you are | |
53 | uncertain about approaching the TAB or any other maintainers, please | |
54 | reach out to our conflict mediator, Mishi Choudhary <mishi@linux.com>. | |
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55 | |
56 | In the end, "be kind to each other" is really what the end goal is for | |
57 | everybody. We know everyone is human and we all fail at times, but the | |
58 | primary goal for all of us should be to work toward amicable resolutions | |
59 | of problems. Enforcement of the code of conduct will only be a last | |
60 | resort option. | |
61 | ||
62 | Our goal of creating a robust and technically advanced operating system | |
63 | and the technical complexity involved naturally require expertise and | |
64 | decision-making. | |
65 | ||
66 | The required expertise varies depending on the area of contribution. It | |
67 | is determined mainly by context and technical complexity and only | |
68 | secondary by the expectations of contributors and maintainers. | |
69 | ||
70 | Both the expertise expectations and decision-making are subject to | |
71 | discussion, but at the very end there is a basic necessity to be able to | |
72 | make decisions in order to make progress. This prerogative is in the | |
73 | hands of maintainers and project's leadership and is expected to be used | |
74 | in good faith. | |
75 | ||
76 | As a consequence, setting expertise expectations, making decisions and | |
77 | rejecting unsuitable contributions are not viewed as a violation of the | |
78 | Code of Conduct. | |
79 | ||
80 | While maintainers are in general welcoming to newcomers, their capacity | |
81 | of helping contributors overcome the entry hurdles is limited, so they | |
82 | have to set priorities. This, also, is not to be seen as a violation of | |
83 | the Code of Conduct. The kernel community is aware of that and provides | |
84 | entry level programs in various forms like kernelnewbies.org. | |
85 | ||
86 | Scope | |
87 | ----- | |
88 | ||
89 | The Linux kernel community primarily interacts on a set of public email | |
90 | lists distributed around a number of different servers controlled by a | |
91 | number of different companies or individuals. All of these lists are | |
92 | defined in the MAINTAINERS file in the kernel source tree. Any emails | |
93 | sent to those mailing lists are considered covered by the Code of | |
94 | Conduct. | |
95 | ||
96 | Developers who use the kernel.org bugzilla, and other subsystem bugzilla | |
97 | or bug tracking tools should follow the guidelines of the Code of | |
98 | Conduct. The Linux kernel community does not have an "official" project | |
99 | email address, or "official" social media address. Any activity | |
100 | performed using a kernel.org email account must follow the Code of | |
101 | Conduct as published for kernel.org, just as any individual using a | |
102 | corporate email account must follow the specific rules of that | |
103 | corporation. | |
104 | ||
105 | The Code of Conduct does not prohibit continuing to include names, email | |
106 | addresses, and associated comments in mailing list messages, kernel | |
107 | change log messages, or code comments. | |
108 | ||
109 | Interaction in other forums is covered by whatever rules apply to said | |
110 | forums and is in general not covered by the Code of Conduct. Exceptions | |
111 | may be considered for extreme circumstances. | |
112 | ||
113 | Contributions submitted for the kernel should use appropriate language. | |
114 | Content that already exists predating the Code of Conduct will not be | |
115 | addressed now as a violation. Inappropriate language can be seen as a | |
116 | bug, though; such bugs will be fixed more quickly if any interested | |
117 | parties submit patches to that effect. Expressions that are currently | |
118 | part of the user/kernel API, or reflect terminology used in published | |
119 | standards or specifications, are not considered bugs. | |
120 | ||
121 | Enforcement | |
122 | ----------- | |
123 | ||
124 | The address listed in the Code of Conduct goes to the Code of Conduct | |
125 | Committee. The exact members receiving these emails at any given time | |
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126 | are listed at https://kernel.org/code-of-conduct.html. Members can not |
127 | access reports made before they joined or after they have left the | |
128 | committee. | |
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129 | |
130 | The initial Code of Conduct Committee consists of volunteer members of | |
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131 | the TAB, as well as a professional mediator acting as a neutral third |
132 | party. The first task of the committee is to establish documented | |
133 | processes, which will be made public. | |
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134 | |
135 | Any member of the committee, including the mediator, can be contacted | |
136 | directly if a reporter does not wish to include the full committee in a | |
137 | complaint or concern. | |
138 | ||
139 | The Code of Conduct Committee reviews the cases according to the | |
140 | processes (see above) and consults with the TAB as needed and | |
141 | appropriate, for instance to request and receive information about the | |
142 | kernel community. | |
143 | ||
144 | Any decisions by the committee will be brought to the TAB, for | |
145 | implementation of enforcement with the relevant maintainers if needed. | |
146 | A decision by the Code of Conduct Committee can be overturned by the TAB | |
147 | by a two-thirds vote. | |
148 | ||
149 | At quarterly intervals, the Code of Conduct Committee and TAB will | |
150 | provide a report summarizing the anonymised reports that the Code of | |
151 | Conduct committee has received and their status, as well details of any | |
152 | overridden decisions including complete and identifiable voting details. | |
153 | ||
154 | We expect to establish a different process for Code of Conduct Committee | |
155 | staffing beyond the bootstrap period. This document will be updated | |
156 | with that information when this occurs. |