On Fri, 2009-01-23 at 04:38 +0100, Kevin Kofler wrote:
Maybe I should give you the benefit of the doubt and assume
something
got lost in translation?
That's always a good idea :-)
GNOME's "code of conduct" spells out some common sense that can be easy
to forget in the middle of a debate:
http://live.gnome.org/CodeOfConduct
Be respectful and considerate:
Disagreement is no excuse for poor behaviour or personal attacks.
Remember that a community where people feel uncomfortable is not a
productive one.
Be patient and generous:
If someone asks for help it is because they need it. Do politely
suggest specific documentation or more appropriate venues where
appropriate, but avoid aggressive or vague responses such as
"RTFM".
Assume people mean well:
Remember that decisions are often a difficult choice between
competing priorities. If you disagree, please do so politely. If
something seems outrageous, check that you did not misinterpret it.
Ask for clarification, but do not assume the worst.
Try to be concise:
Avoid repeating what has been said already. Making a conversation
larger makes it difficult to follow, and people often feel
personally attacked if they receive multiple messages telling them
the same thing.
(Not suggesting that we need to go through this process of writing a
code, debating it endlessly and getting people to sign up for it - but
it is a nice set of guidelines)
Cheers,
Mark.