That Code of Conduct

[Cybe R. Wizard]

We are seeing a lot of references to the Code of Conduct and one gets
the impression that it is the law of the land where Ubuntu lists/forums
are concerned /but/ let's look at it, shall we?  

I'll intersperse comments in brackets.  

Where I use the term, "users," please know that I mean those who
are /only/ users and who are not involved with the nuts and bolts of
producing Ubuntu.

From:
http://www.ubuntu.com/community/conduct
----------------------
"Code of Conduct

Ubuntu is an African concept of 'humanity towards others'. It is 'the
belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity'. The
same ideas are central to the way the Ubuntu community collaborates.
Members of the Ubuntu community need to work together effectively, and
this code of conduct lays down the "ground rules" for our cooperation.

["Members of the.. community need to work together effectively..." seems
to me to be addressing, not the users, but the devs and all the rest of
the really necessary people who push Ubuntu out the door]

We chose the name Ubuntu for our distribution

[again, pointed at the movers and shakers, not users who chose nothing
but to install]

 because we think it
captures perfectly the spirit of the sharing and cooperation that is at
the heart of the open source movement. In the Free Software world, we
collaborate freely on a volunteer basis to build software

[again, it isn't the users who build the movement, the world or the
software, but the devs and other PTB]

 for
everyone's benefit. We improve on the work of others, which we have
been given freely, and then share our improvements on the same basis.

[see any strictly users in  that?  I don't.]

That collaboration depends on good relationships between developers. To
this end, we've agreed on the following code of conduct to help define
the ways that we think collaboration and cooperation should work.

[that seems to me to say it all; the CC is directed not at the users,
but at the /developers/.  It says so right there in the first sentence
above.]

If you wish to sign the code of conduct, you can sign the canonical
copy online.

[That looks a lot like 'opt-in at your own initiative' to me, not the
Law Of The Land]

This Code of Conduct covers our behaviour as members of the Ubuntu
Community, in any forum, mailing list, wiki, web site, IRC channel,
install-fest, public meeting or private correspondence. Ubuntu
governance bodies are ultimately accountable to the Ubuntu Community
Council and will arbitrate in any dispute over the conduct of a member
of the community.

[same as before; /not/ pointed at those who are /only/ users]

    *

      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,

["...decision /we/ take will affect users..."  It looks like the Ubuntu
elite (and I say that lovingly) who are being asked to be
considerate, /not/ the users who are the ones to be /affected by/
the decisions]

      and we should take those
      consequences into account when making decisions. Ubuntu has
      millions of users and thousands of contributors.

[here it is obvious that it /isn't/ the users who are being addressed]

      Even if it's not
      obvious at the time, our contributions to Ubuntu will impact the
      work of others. For example, changes to code, infrastructure,
      policy, documentation, and translations during a release may
      negatively impact others' work. *

      Be respectful. The Ubuntu community and its members treat one
      another with respect. Everyone can make a valuable contribution
      to Ubuntu. We may not always agree, but disagreement is no excuse
      for poor behaviour and poor manners. We might all experience some
      frustration now and then, but we cannot allow that frustration to
      turn into a personal attack. It's important to remember that a
      community where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a
      productive one. We expect members of the Ubuntu community to be
      respectful when dealing with other contributors as well as with
      people outside the Ubuntu project and with users of Ubuntu. *

[that bears repeating and with emphasis:
      "We expect /members of the Ubuntu community/ to be
      respectful when dealing with other contributors /as well as/ with
      people outside the Ubuntu project /and with users/ of Ubuntu."

and again:
"We expect members... to be respectful when dealing with... users..."

If that doesn't say fairly plainly that it /IS NOT/ users who the CoC
is aimed at, what can?]

      Be collaborative. Collaboration is central to Ubuntu and to the
      larger free software community. This collaboration involves
      individuals working with others in teams within Ubuntu, teams
      working with each other within Ubuntu, and individuals and teams
      within Ubuntu working with other projects outside.

[none of which applies to users]

      This
      collaboration reduces redundancy, and improves the quality of our
      work. 

[users aren't working for Ubuntu nor Canonical]

      Internally and externally, we should always be open to
      collaboration. Wherever possible, we should work closely with
      upstream projects and others in the free software community to
      coordinate our technical, advocacy, documentation, and other
      work.

[all of the above is pointed at (unsurprisingly) devs and other
official members of the Ubuntu community, /not/ users]

      Our work should be done transparently and we should involve
      as many interested parties as early as possible. If we decide to
      take a different approach than others, we will let them know
      early, document our work and inform others regularly of our
      progress. *

[not directed at (you-know-who)]

      When we disagree, we consult others. Disagreements, both social
      and technical, happen all the time and the Ubuntu community is no
      exception. It is important that we resolve disagreements and
      differing views constructively and with the help of the community
      and community processes. We have the Technical Board, the
      Community Council, and a series of other governance bodies which
      help to decide the right course for Ubuntu. There are also
      several Project Teams and Team Leaders, who may be able to help
      us figure out the best direction for Ubuntu. When our goals
      differ dramatically, we encourage the creation of alternative
      sets of packages, or derivative distributions, using the Ubuntu
      Package Management framework, so that the community can test new
      ideas and contribute to the discussion. *

[I can't see a band of users getting together and doing that, can you?]

      When we are unsure, we ask for help. Nobody knows everything, and
      nobody is expected to be perfect in the Ubuntu community. Asking
      questions avoids many problems down the road, and so questions
      are encouraged. Those who are asked questions should be
      responsive and helpful. However, when asking a question, care
      must be taken to do so in an appropriate forum. *

      Step down considerately. Members of every project come and go and
      Ubuntu is no different. When somebody leaves or disengages from
      the project, in whole or in part, we ask that they do so in a way
      that minimises disruption to the project. This means they should
      tell people they are leaving and take the proper steps to ensure
      that others can pick up where they left off.

[if users were involved in Ubuntu projects they would also be devs or
have some other official designation.  They would /maybe/ be users, too,
but those are not the people at which this document is aimed, almost
certainly]

We pride ourselves on building a productive, happy and agile community
that can welcome new ideas in a complex field, and foster collaboration
between groups with very different needs, interests and goals. We hold
our leaders to an even higher standard, in the Leadership Code of
Conduct, and arrange the governance of the community to ensure that
issues can be raised with leaders who are engaged, interested and
competent to help resolve them."
[end of Code of Conduct]
------------
It seems to me (and will to you, too, if you read the CoC with an ounce
of open-mindedness) that the above document is decidedly /not/ for the
users, but for the official members of the Ubuntu community.  I am not
saying that it isn't a lofty ideal for users to aspire to, too, but it
/is/ time to stop holding it up as the Holy Writ that some seem
to think that it is.  Were it that, we would each and every one of us
have to sign it before being allowed to post here or on the web forums.

That hasn't happened.  Get over it.  Some human interaction is not as
nice as we would like in an ideal world.  Sometimes that is a /good/
thing as we /don't/ live in an ideal world.

Put that Code of Conduct back into your holster and quit waving it
about like a gun!

Cybe R. Wizard
-- 
Registered GNU/Linux user # 126326
Registered Ubuntu User # 2136