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<title>GNU Kind Communications Guidelines |
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- GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title> |
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<div class="article reduced-width"> |
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<h2>GNU Kind Communications Guidelines</h2> |
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|
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<address class="byline">by |
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<a href="https://www.stallman.org/">Richard Stallman</a></address> |
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<h3>Purpose</h3> |
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<p>The GNU Project encourages contributions from anyone who wishes to |
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advance the development of the GNU system, regardless of gender, race, |
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ethnic group, physical appearance, religion, cultural background, and |
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any other demographic characteristics, as well as personal political |
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views.</p> |
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<p>People are sometimes discouraged from participating in GNU |
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development because of certain patterns of communication that strike |
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them as unfriendly, unwelcoming, rejecting, or harsh. This |
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discouragement particularly affects members of disprivileged |
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demographics, but it is not limited to them. Therefore, we ask all |
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contributors to make a conscious effort, in GNU Project discussions, |
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to communicate in ways that avoid that outcome—to avoid |
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practices that will predictably and unnecessarily risk putting some |
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contributors off.</p> |
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<p>These guidelines suggest specific ways to accomplish that goal.</p> |
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<h3>Guidelines</h3> |
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<ul> |
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<li>Please assume other participants are posting in good faith, even if |
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you disagree with what they say. When people present code or text as |
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their own work, please accept it as their work. Please do not |
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criticize people for wrongs that you only speculate they may have |
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done; stick to what they actually say and actually do.</li> |
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|
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<li>Please think about how to treat other participants with respect, |
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especially when you disagree with them. For instance, call them by |
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the names they use, and refer to them using words whose meanings (as |
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you understand them) cover those participants' stated gender |
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identities. Please also show tolerance and respect for people who |
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do that using different words from the words you use.</li> |
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<li>Please do not take a harsh tone towards other participants, and |
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especially don't make personal attacks against them. Go out of your |
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way to show that you are criticizing a statement, not a person.</li> |
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<li>Please recognize that criticism of your statements is not a |
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personal attack on you. If you feel that someone has attacked you, or |
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offended your personal dignity, please don't “hit back” |
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with another personal attack. That tends to start a vicious circle of |
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escalating verbal aggression. A private response, politely stating |
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your feelings <em>as feelings</em>, and asking for peace, may calm |
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things down. Write it, set it aside for hours or a day, revise it to |
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remove the anger, and only then send it.</li> |
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<li>Please avoid statements about the presumed typical desires, |
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capabilities or actions of some demographic group. They can offend |
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people in that group, and they are always off-topic in GNU Project |
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discussions.</li> |
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<li>Please be especially kind to other contributors when saying they |
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made a mistake. Programming means making lots of mistakes, and we all |
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do so—this is why regression tests are useful. Conscientious |
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programmers make mistakes, and then fix them. It is helpful to show |
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contributors that being imperfect is normal, so we don't hold it |
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against them, and that we appreciate their imperfect contributions |
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though we hope they follow through by fixing any problems in them.</li> |
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<li>Likewise, be kind when pointing out to other contributors that they |
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should stop using certain nonfree software. For their own sake, they |
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ought to free themselves, but we welcome their contributions to our |
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software packages even if they don't do that. So these reminders |
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should be gentle and not too frequent—don't nag. |
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<p>By contrast, to suggest that others run a nonfree program opposes |
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the basic principles of GNU, so it is not allowed in GNU Project |
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discussions.</p> |
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</li> |
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<li>Please respond to what people actually said, not to exaggerations |
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of their views. Your criticism will not be constructive if it is aimed |
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at a target other than their real views.</li> |
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<li>If in a discussion someone brings up a tangent to the topic at |
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hand, please keep the discussion on track by focusing on the current |
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topic rather than the tangent. This is not to say that the tangent is |
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bad, or not interesting to discuss—only that it shouldn't |
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interfere with discussion of the issue at hand. In most cases, it is |
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also off-topic, so those interested ought to discuss it somewhere |
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else. |
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<p>If you think the tangent is an important and pertinent issue, |
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please bring it up as a separate discussion, with a Subject field to |
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fit, and consider waiting for the end of the current discussion.</p> |
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</li> |
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<li>Rather than trying to have the last word, look for the times when |
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there is no need to reply, perhaps because you already made the |
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relevant point clear enough. If you know something about the game of |
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Go, this analogy might clarify that: when the other player's move is not |
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strong enough to require a direct response, it is advantageous to give |
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it none and instead move elsewhere.</li> |
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<li>Please don't argue unceasingly for your preferred course of action |
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when a decision for some other course has already been made. That |
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tends to block the activity's progress.</li> |
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<li>If others have irritated you, perhaps by disregarding these |
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guidelines, please don't excoriate them, and especially please don't |
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hold a grudge against them. The constructive approach is to |
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encourage and help other people to do better. When they are trying |
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to learn to do better, please give them plenty of chances.</li> |
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<li>If other participants complain about the way you express your |
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ideas, please make an effort to cater to them. You can find ways to |
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express the same points while making others more comfortable. You are |
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more likely to persuade others if you don't arouse ire about secondary |
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things.</li> |
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<li>Please don't raise unrelated political issues in GNU Project |
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discussions, because they are off-topic. The only political positions |
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that the GNU Project endorses are (1) that users should have control |
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of their own computing (for instance, through free software) and (2) |
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supporting basic human rights in computing. We don't require you as a |
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contributor to agree with these two points, but you do need to accept |
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that our decisions will be based on them.</li> |
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</ul> |
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<p>By making an effort to follow these guidelines, we will encourage |
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more contribution to our projects, and our discussions will be |
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friendlier and reach conclusions more easily.</p> |
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