Like the free software community as a whole, the GNU Binutils community is made up of a mixture of professionals and volunteers from all over the world, working on every aspect of the project - including mentorship, teaching, and connecting people.
Diversity is a huge strength, but it can also lead to communication issues and unhappiness. To that end, we have a few guidelines that we ask people to adhere to. These guidelines apply equally to leaders, maintainers, and those seeking help and guidance.
This isn't an exhaustive list of things that you can or can't do. Rather, it is a guide to make it easier to enrich all of us, the project, and the broader communities in which we participate. Nor is this a fixed list. It may alter over time, as the community evolves and changes.
These guidelines apply to all spaces managed by the GNU Binutils project. This includes the mailing lists, the issue tracker, events, and any other forums created by the project team which the community uses for communication. In addition, violations of these guidelines outside of these spaces (though still in the context of the GNU Binutils) may affect a person's ability to participate within them.
The guidelines are:
We strive to be a community that welcomes and supports people of all backgrounds and identities. This includes, but is not limited to, members of any race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, colour, immigration status, social and economic class, educational level, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, size, family status, philosophical belief, political belief, religion, and mental or physical ability.
Your work with the binutils will be used by other people, and you in turn will depend on the work of others. Any decision you take here will affect users and colleagues, and you should take those consequences into account when making decisions. Remember that we are a world-wide community, so you might not be communicating in someone else's primary language.
Not all of us will agree all the time, but disagreement is no excuse for poor behaviour or poor manners. We might all experience some frustration now and then, but we cannot allow that frustration to turn into a personal attack. It is important to remember that a community where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive one. Members of the community should be respectful when dealing with other members as well as with people outside the community.
Do not insult or put down other participants. Harassment and other exclusionary behaviours aren't acceptable. This includes, but is not limited to:
When we disagree, try to understand why. Disagreements, both social and technical, happen all the time and the GNU Binutils community is no exception. It is important that we resolve disagreements and differing views constructively. One of the strengths of the free software movement is its varied community, with people from a wide range of backgrounds. Different people have different perspectives on issues. Being unable to understand why someone holds a viewpoint doesn't mean that they're wrong. Do not forget that it is human to err and blaming each other does not get us anywhere. Instead, focus on helping to resolve issues and learning from mistakes.
See the GNU Kind Communications Guidelines for more guidance on constructive interactions.
If you believe someone is violating these guidelines one option you have is to report the problem to the Binutils Code of Conduct Committee. They will listen your report and try to work with you to resolve the problem.
You can contact the committee by emailing binutils-conduct@sourceware.org. For more details on how and when to contact the committee and how they will respond please see the Reporting Guide.
The membership of the Committee, and the formal reporting and response procedures, are not yet fully established. If you are interested in serving on the committee, or would like to suggest someone who you think would be a good candidate, please email the above address.
If you have questions, please feel free to contact the committee on the above email address, or ask on the GNU Binutils mailing list at binutils@sourceware.org.
This text was derived from the Django project Code of Conduct, used under the Creative Commons Attribution license and the GCC Code of Conduct, also under the same license.
Last modified: Tue Oct 03 2023