These core values are our definition of respect.
Goal: Being better is more important than being the "best", because "best" means complacency and better means progress. We are always improving. Improvement requires reflection, so we take ownership of our mistakes and question our habits.
Reality: We're totally perfect. We are just that awesome. You want to be us.
Goal: Our community members have different needs and values from our own, so we must consider their perspectives to communicate effectively. We work best together when we empathize with one another, and we create the best community when we understand the members we engage with.
Reality: Snowflakes not allowed.
Goal: Inequality and exclusion are the defaults of our society. Without intentional effort, we will inherit those failings and worsen the problem. Building a diverse community is a moral imperative and we grow as individuals by bringing different perspectives to the table. We look for voices unlike our own because they are the only ones that help us grow.
Reality: VSCode > Atom. Fite me. Vi > emacs. Fite me. Linux > Windows. Fite me. Docker > Vagrant. Fite me. SaaS > Desktop App. Fite me. Idea 1 > Idea 2. Fite us.
Goal: Trust is the currency that powers every interaction. Only when we trust each other can we share the candid feedback and opinions that let us be creative and successful. We give our members deep visibility into how our decisions are made and easy outlets to help them give input and guide our course. When we build trust through good communication, we create an environment for better communication in the future.
Reality: For us to even consider talking with you, we need you to sign these NDAs, one for every country, in every language, and they need to be encrypted using only the best encryption ever-- our closed source algorithm.
Goal: Different ideas means different opinions which is the foundation of conflict. Positive conflict is the ability to listen, understand/empathize with the opposing view, and calmly discuss the differences on the topic without taking the conflict into personal attacks. It does not mean you need to change your view, or your mind on your opinion.
Reality: My dad can totally beat up your dad's social media account.
Laughing, joking, teasing, and yes, even trolling is something that will happen. We're developers. We believe our community to be mature enough to understand there can be subtlety when teasing/joking/trolling. We trust our community to be mindful enough to communicate and seek clarity instead of assuming the intent of a comment.
To clarify what is not acceptable joking/testing/trolling see our Discrimination, Favouritism & Nepotism section in our Code of Ethics. There are better parts of a person to target for trolling: their favourite coding language, editor, coding methodologies... the list goes on.
Mindfulness is defined as the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something. To us, "something" is the community as a whole, as well as the individual members of it. Don't take their time, energy, or attention for granted.
We believe age doesn't define maturity. While maturity is a learned concept and not instinctual, the key to our entire code of conduct is based on responding to the community and members in an appropriate manner. What do we define as appropriate? See our core values.
To us, intent behind words is everything. We believe that to have a community, communication and engagement must occur between the members. Without it, there is no community, no individual growth. We feel that to be successful we must encourage the community as a whole, and also the individuals found within.
Bring questions, concerns, and feedback to us here.
Oatmeal's comic: Believe.