1 .. _code_of_conduct_interpretation: 2 3 Linux Kernel Contributor Covenant Code of Conduct Interpretation 4 ================================================================ 5 6 The :ref:`code_of_conduct` is a general document meant to 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 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, Joanna Lee <jlee@linuxfoundation.org>. 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 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. 129 130 The Code of Conduct Committee consists of volunteer community members 131 appointed by the TAB, as well as a professional mediator acting as a 132 neutral third party. The processes the Code of Conduct committee will 133 use to address reports is varied and will depend on the individual 134 circumstance, however, this file serves as documentation for the 135 general process used. 136 137 Any member of the committee, including the mediator, can be contacted 138 directly if a reporter does not wish to include the full committee in a 139 complaint or concern. 140 141 The Code of Conduct Committee reviews the cases according to the 142 processes (see above) and consults with the TAB as needed and 143 appropriate, for instance to request and receive information about the 144 kernel community. 145 146 Any decisions regarding enforcement recommendations will be brought to 147 the TAB for implementation of enforcement with the relevant maintainers 148 if needed. A decision by the Code of Conduct Committee can be overturned 149 by the TAB by a two-thirds vote. 150 151 At quarterly intervals, the Code of Conduct Committee and TAB will 152 provide a report summarizing the anonymised reports that the Code of 153 Conduct committee has received and their status, as well details of any 154 overridden decisions including complete and identifiable voting details. 155 156 Because how we interpret and enforce the Code of Conduct will evolve over 157 time, this document will be updated when necessary to reflect any 158 changes.
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