CoC: FAQ

This FAQ attempts to address common questions and concerns around the RIOT community's future Code of Conduct. If you still have questions after reading it, please feel free to contact us.

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Why have you adopted a Code of Conduct?

If you're familiar with the RIOT community, you'll probably notice that the Code basically matches what we already do. Think of this as documentation: we're taking implicit expectations about behavior and making them explicit.

We're doing this because the RIOT community is growing faster than any of us could have anticipated. This is on balance a very positive thing, but as we've grown past the point where it's possible to know the whole community we think it's very important to be clear about our values.

We know that the RIOT community is open, friendly, and welcoming. We want to make sure everyone else knows it too.

What does it mean to "adopt" a Code of Conduct?

For the most part, we don't think it means large changes. We think that the text does a really good job describing the way the RIOT community already conducts itself. We expect that most people will simply continue to behave in the awesome way they have for years.

However, we do expect that people will abide by the spirit and words of the CoC when in "official" RIOT spaces. This code has been adopted by the RIOT community as a whole. That means that it'll apply in all community spaces.

In practice, this means mailing lists (users@riot-os.org, devel@riot-os.org, etc.), the IRC channel (#riot-os), bug tracking and code review tools, and "official" RIOT events such as Hack'n'ACKs or RIOT summits. In addition, violations of this code outside these spaces may affect a person's ability to participate within them.

What happens if someone violates the Code of Conduct?

Our intent is that anyone in the community can stand up for this code, and direct people who're unaware to this document. If that doesn't work, or if you need more help, you can contact conduct@riot-os.org. For more details please see our Reporting Guidelines.

Why do we need a Code of Conduct? Everyone knows not to be a jerk.

Sadly, not everyone knows this.

However, even if everyone was kind, everyone was compassionate, and everyone was familiar with codes of conduct it would still be incumbent upon our community to publish our own. Maintaining a code of conduct forces us to consider and articulate what kind of community we want to be, and serves as a constant reminder to put our best foot forward. But most importantly, it serves as a signpost to people looking to join our community that we feel these values are important.

This is censorship! I have the right to say whatever I want!

You do -- in your space. If you'd like to hang out in our spaces (as clarified above), we have some simple guidelines to follow. If you want to, for example, form a group where RIOT is discussed using language inappropriate for general channels then nobody's stopping you. We respect your right to establish whatever codes of conduct you want in the spaces that belong to you. Please honor this Code of Conduct in our spaces.

References

This FAQ was adapted from the Django Code of Conduct FAQ