code-of-conduct.md

Arch Linux Code of Conduct
==========================

The Arch community is a technical community whose shared purpose is to support and enhance Arch
Linux.

Arch Linux is a community-driven distribution; the developers, support staff and people who
provide assistance in the various fora all do so in their own time, motivated by a shared desire
to provide a minimal base system that can be configured by an individual to suit their specific
requirements. The code of conduct here has been developed over a number of years and reflects the
community's ethos of a functional support system with a high signal-to-noise ratio and an explicit
expectation of self-sufficiency, willingness to learn and contribution.

Familiarising yourself with the principles and guidelines here is both a courtesy to the community
and an effective way of making your initial interactions with other Arch Linux users mutually
beneficial.

_Table of contents_:

[[_TOC_]]

## Common sense introduction

- If you choose to use the Arch Linux distribution, you are welcomed, and encouraged to embrace the
  [Arch Linux principles](https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Arch_Linux#Principles).
- When asking for help, read the manual, do your research and provide details for those you are
  asking for assistance.
- When offering help, be as patient and tactful as possible.

Arch is a community of volunteers. Rather than providing a complicated pattern of balanced freedoms
and restrictions, as well as the time, resources and personnel required to interpret and administer
such rules, we have chosen a simple principle to embrace for the benefit of all. Therefore, this
entire document may be condensed into one simple admonition:

___Proactively seek to give of yourself and to bring only benefit to your peers and community.___

## Code of conduct

The _minimum necessary standards_ when interacting with others in the Arch Linux community comprise
four main points. In addition to those points, there are guidelines specific to each of the
community fora; the [Forums](#forums), [Wiki](#wiki), [IRC](#irc), [Mailing lists](#mailing-lists),
[AUR](#aur) and [Bug tracker](#bug-tracker).

### Respect

#### Respect other users

Arch Linux is a respectful, inclusive community. Anti-social or offensive behaviour will not be
tolerated. Simply put, treat others as you would be treated; respect them and their views, even if
you disagree with them. When you do find yourself disagreeing; counter the idea or the argument,
rather than engage in _ad hominem_ attacks.

#### Respect other operating systems and projects

Maligning other FOSS projects or distributions, or any other operating systems and their users is
prohibited. The entire Arch team is happy to volunteer their time and energy to provide you with
the Arch Linux distribution, documentation and forums. Kindly show respect toward the volunteers,
users and communities of other projects, distributions and operating systems as well. Views,
experiences and opinions are always welcome, but unproductive slander is not.

#### Respect the staff

[Support staff](https://archlinux.org/people/support-staff/) have been chosen for their ability
to exercise consistently good judgement and shall have the final say. Note that Arch Linux is not
run as a democracy. The staff shall always attempt to implement universally peaceful solutions, but
in the end, are charged with the responsibility of maintaining peaceful, civil order for the
majority of the community. Therefore, they cannot always please everyone with the decisions made.
Do your part to contribute to a healthy community and environment.

#### No trolling

A "troll" is a person who misuses their forum freedoms to intentionally disrupt, cause controversy,
incite an argument, and/or receive negative attention by deliberately posting provocative content.
The term may also be used as a verb, to refer to the act of posting such content, or as a noun, to
refer the content itself.

Trolls can be deceitful and frequently use indirect expressions of hostility through ambivalence
and implicit messages as a method of covertly insulting, intimidating, or inciting a person or
persons for their own sadistic pleasure. They often pick their words very carefully and are
therefore able to defend their masked attempts at creating unrest, redirecting the blame onto the
community and its supposed failure to understand them properly. Trolling is prohibited.

#### Do not flame

Flaming, in the most common sense definition, is directing negative, disrespectful, and/or
insulting comments toward someone. An equally or more negative response, resulting in a cycling
exchange of insults is often the consequence. Flaming fellow members (including the Arch team) will
not be tolerated. Avoid personal insults and sarcastic or patronizing language. _Discussions can
be productive, but quarreling is always destructive._

#### Be responsible

If an interpersonal issue arises, be open-minded to the possibility that your behaviour or intent,
actual or perceived, may have contributed to the problem. Arch Linux users are encouraged to
cultivate self awareness and remain peaceable toward their peers. Taking responsibility for our
actions is often a good first step toward a peaceful reconciliation.

#### Member accounts

Limit your fora membership to one account only. Having multiple accounts is an unnecessary use of
resources. Further, it may be interpreted as trolling behaviour.

Any form of [sockpuppetry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sockpuppet_(Internet)) or impersonation is
prohibited.

### Legality

#### Criminal solicitation

[Criminal solicitation](https://definitions.uslegal.com/c/criminal-solicitation/) is forbidden in
this community. In this context, "criminal solicitation" shall mean, "To actively or implicitly
facilitate, incite, move, or persuade others to some act of lawlessness or illegal activity."

Therefore do not post discussions which demonstrate, or link to, criminal solicitation in any form.
This includes, but is not limited to information or links to facilitate illegal drug use, theft,
network intrusion, creation of code for malicious purposes, prohibited software copying, prohibited
use of copyrighted/patented material, so-called "warez", or sites which provide torrents or links
to such content. Illegal content shall be removed swiftly and dealt with in full accordance with
known applicable law.

#### Spam/Advertising/Solicitation

Spamming is forbidden. Please alert staff to the presence of spam should you encounter it.
Offending spam accounts and associated IP addresses will be banned. Do not reply to spam posts as
it increases the amount of work required to clean them up.

Publicity, if it is related to Arch (as a project or community) or GNU/Linux/FOSS, will usually be
allowed. Promoting web-invites, blog posts or commercial promotions are actively discouraged, or
outright prohibited. Registering just to promote your issue/cause, FOSS-related or not, treats the
community as a resource and is not acceptable; if unsure about the appropriateness of your content,
contact the support staff before posting. Also be aware that posting shortened/obscured links is a
technique of spammers and deliberately inhibits the communities ability to judge the propriety of
the link. Therefore, only post links that include a clear destination.

### Correctness

The Arch Linux community value technical correctness. When seeking or giving help, remember to
strive for accuracy, completeness and correctness. An excellent introduction to the expectations of
the Arch community is ESR's [How To Ask Questions The Smart Way](
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html).

Other considerations in this category include:

#### Arch Linux distribution support ONLY

Arch-based distributions have their own support fora and users of those distributions should be
actively encouraged to seek support there. These distributions often use different packages,
package versions, repositories, or make custom system configurations silently, practically
rendering support for such projects within Arch Linux impossible. Community technical support shall
only be provided for the Arch Linux distribution and the Arch User Repository. Posting issues with,
and requesting support for, derivative distributions or operating systems other than Arch Linux are
prohibited.

#### Personal topics/rants

Rants and complaints are actively discouraged. This type of content is much better suited to a blog
or other personal web space and is considered undesirable in the Arch community. Your contributions
should be open, productive and inviting to all participants. Also see
[Respect other operating systems and projects](#respect-other-operating-systems-and-projects).

#### Avoid controversy/controversial topics

There is no explicit list of topics considered to be "trollish", controversial or provocative, but
in the past, posts pertaining to __Religion, Sports, Race, Nationalism__ and __Politics__ have
invariably been closed. Therefore, ___specifically avoid these and all divisive topics in the Arch
community.___ The staff certainly realize that such issues are deeply ingrained human realities.
However, this is a technical community and is not intended nor able to effectively facilitate such
commentary nor the resulting unrest.

#### Ineffective discussion ("bikeshed")

Discussions stating the equivalent of "there is a problem with the Arch system and methodology, we
need to discuss it" (sometimes referred to as ["bikeshedding"](
http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en/articles/mailing-list-faq/bikeshed.html)) have been repeatedly proven
ineffective and inflammatory and will usually be closed down after a warning from the support
staff. Arch is a Do It Yourself community. If you have identified a systemic issue, find a solution
that works for you, implement it, then post.

Furthermore, questioning or discussing the methods used by the Arch Linux development team will be
monitored closely and locked or removed _if deemed unhelpful and/or unproductive_. Harsh,
unproductive criticism is also uncalled for.

If you have a question regarding Arch development, ensure that your topic poses a specific question
and be open-minded to responses. If possible, provide a solution or partial solution. Submitting
code and patches for discussion is always more pragmatic than asking others to do it for you.

### Freedom

_Liberty_ is the state of being unencumbered by oppressive authority, whereas _freedom_ is the
ability to demonstrate self determination. Therefore, we must all sacrifice a small degree of
liberty in order to enjoy certain freedoms. While the free and open exchange of assistance, speech,
ideas and opinions is highly regarded and encouraged in the Arch community, it must be noted that
the freedom granted to participants is not unbounded; rather, it is _relative freedom_. It
co-exists, along with the entire Arch Linux distribution, within the boundaries of the above
guidelines and principles. Complaints of censorship or intolerance are therefore baseless and
unfounded, since this necessary framework must simultaneously provide reasonable limitations. To
illustrate, we are aware of the physical laws which govern energy and matter, yet we do not
complain of their oppression. Instead, we recognize that such laws are essential for our welfare.
Likewise, the Arch community's high standards reflected in these guidelines regulate community
freedom for the common good and protection of all. The key, then, to true freedom in this community
is to cultivate benevolence toward others and to harmonize our attitude with the Arch Way by
bringing only benefits to our peers. This allows members to satisfy all contributive impulses
without aggravating themselves or encroaching on the freedom of others. Embracing the above
principles and obeying the guidelines therefore benefits the entire community by providing freedom
from the disorder and other oppressive, harmful and negative consequences of a more chaotic
approach.

## Specific fora guidelines

In addition to the [common code](#code-of-conduct), each of the fora has its own specific
guidelines summarized in the following subsections.

### Forums

Guidelines specific to the [Arch forums](https://bbs.archlinux.org/).

#### How to post

- Choose clear, informative subjects. This is more likely to elicit response from experienced users
  who have knowledge about that particular topic. It also makes the topic easy to reference and
  find in forum searches by future users with similar problems. Further, avoid extraneous phrases
  such as [HELP!], [URGENT], etc.

- A sincere effort to use modest and proper language and grammar is a sign of respect toward the
  community that will certainly be appreciated and is quite likely to elicit positive responses.
  Refrain from using so-called "textspeak", "netspeak", "leetspeak" and all other forms of
  internet slang.

- When asking questions, provide as much information as possible, including error messages,
  terminal output, logs, what you have previously tried, what documentation and searches you have
  attempted, and related configuration files.

- Choose one topic per thread. Long threads are typically discouraged in the technical issue
  subforums.

- Post your question in only one subforum; pick the most relevant, and post there.

- Do not post tutorials or "how to's": documentation belongs in the wiki, where it can be
  maintained.

- When responding to an existing thread, always read the original post and attempt to focus on the
  original topic.

- Finally, when a solution is found, mark your thread as solved by editing the first post and
  prepending the tag [SOLVED] to the title in the "Subject" field.

  Note that you should avoid using [CLOSED], which is instead used by the system to mark a thread
  which is no longer accessible for new posts.

- If a thread is marked as [SOLVED], do not reply stating the equivalent of "I am having a similar
  issue.."; start a new thread and link to the [SOLVED] thread, if relevant.

#### Pasting pictures and code

Use [code] tags when pasting console snippets. Use a [pastebin client](
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/List_of_applications#Pastebin_clients) when posting large
amounts of code. Do __not__ use [pastebin.com](http://pastebin.com/)—it is blocked for some users
and has a history of annoying issues (JavaScript, adverts, poor formatting, etc).

For non-English locale users: Prepend `LC_ALL=C` to posted commands so that the output will be in
English. Do not post full screen pictures; use links to the images instead, optionally with
thumbnails. Any image with dimensions greater than 250×250px or over 50 KiB in size will be
removed. Do __not__ post screenshots of text output; post [the actual text](
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Copying_text_from_a_terminal).

#### Life is a two-way street

A simple, yet profound and undeniable truth. Ensure your thread includes details and information
that others will find useful. Share your findings with the community. Share your failures as well.
Posting the equivalent of "Nevermind, I fixed it." in your thread or deleting your own posts for
similar reasons is not only selfish and useless to the community, but a complete waste of resources
and everyone's time. Also, demanding help or showing an obvious impatience toward getting it is
unwanted here. Arch is provided by a community of volunteers. Arch users are strongly encouraged to
do research, make an effort, report back in the thread, help others, get involved, and contribute
to the community.

Do not be a ["help vampire"](http://slash7.com/2006/12/22/vampires/).

#### Product recommendation requests

Threads seeking advice about computer product recommendations are discouraged. Such topics, like
the technology they discuss, quickly become obsolete and are unlikely to provide any lasting
benefit to the wider community. You are expected to be able to do your own research and draw your
own conclusions about which product best suits your individual requirements.

#### Old threads/"necro-bumping"

Do your part to keep the forums tidy. As the wiki is where Arch is documented, posting in old
threads ("necrobumping") is generally discouraged in the technical issue subforums, since it can
potentially create disjointed "zombie" information; outdated posts with data which is no longer
relevant due to Arch's rolling nature, combined with more recent posts reflecting more current
circumstance.

_Rules of thumb_:

- If you have a question, start a new thread and link to the old if relevant. You can also report
  the old thread so staff can close it.

- If you have something to add and judge that your information is related, but more up-to-date,
  start a new thread and link to the old if desired, but avoid duplicating effort by posting
  information already contained in the Arch wiki.

- If you have a version-agnostic or corresponding solution, necrobumping _may_ be appropriate if
  the thread is not more than a year or two old.

#### No power-posting/empty posts

Power-posting is best described as posting empty and worthless messages. It is not tolerated.
People may have two reasons to do this: to increase their post count meaninglessly, or to lend
support to an idea as if it were a vote. Examples of power-posting include, but are not limited to,
replying with "+1", "lol", "me too", "I agree", or ":)".

When posting or replying to messages, make sure you have something to say. These empty posts
clutter up threads and discussion, invalidate the 'Show New Posts' function, and waste bandwidth
and server space.

Threads that degenerate into a series of "+1/-1" or "me too/I agree/I disagree" will be locked.
Individual power posts may also be deleted.

#### Bumping

Posting a single word or useless message (bumping) to attract attention to your thread is not
allowed. Do your own research, continue to troubleshoot, post the results, and be patient with the
community. If people are reading your thread without answering or offering help, you may try
supplying more details, or ask to be pointed in the right direction. Often, the reason for posts
remaining unanswered is due in large part to the sparse details in the original post itself, or,
the obvious availability of solutions in the wiki, on the forum or on the web, and the community's
unwillingness to point out the obvious.

#### Cross-posting

Cross-posting is posting the same question multiple times in different subfora (for example,
posting in both Newbie Corner and Installation), or posting slight variants of the question in the
same or different subfora. This is a waste of resources and is not permitted. Any cross-posted
topic will be immediately locked and marked for deletion.

#### Thread hijacking

Thread hijacking is the process of replying to an existing thread with a different topic. This is
generally discouraged. It is better to start a new thread if you have a problem that is related to
an existing posted issue but clearly different. Posts that hijack a serious thread with off-topic
discussion are also discouraged.

#### Dustbin policy (marked for deletion)

Threads that are locked/closed because they are either already documented on the boards or Wiki or
are inconsistent with the Arch Way will be moved to Dust/troll-bin. After a period of five days,
the thread will be eligible for deletion at the discretion of the staff. The Moderator responsible
will clearly mark the thread as "Binned" or "For deletion."

### Mailing lists

Guidelines for the [mailing lists](https://lists.archlinux.org/listinfo/). See also [Mailing list
posting style](https://lists.archlinux.org/pipermail/arch-general/2014-August/036950.html).

#### Top posting

There is never an excuse for [top posting](
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Top-posting). Do not do it.

#### Quoting

Only quote the necessary elements from a previous email. Bulk quoting quickly bloats threads and
reduces the legibility while simultaneously increasing the cognitive load on the entire list. Prune
all of the redundant material and just reply to the relevant quoted material.

#### Plain text

Plain text is the Unix and email standard. HTML is unnecessary and, for those using command line
clients, unwelcome. Keep your line lengths reasonable: 72 characters is considered the default to
wrap at.

### AUR

Guidelines for the [Arch User Repository](https://aur.archlinux.org/) can be found at
[AUR submission guidelines](https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/AUR_submission_guidelines).

### IRC

All [Arch IRC channels](https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Arch_IRC_channels) are on the freenode
IRC network. Users on freenode must follow the [network policy](https://freenode.net/policies) and
freenode [channel guidelines](https://freenode.net/changuide).

The official language of the __#archlinux__ channel is English. If you need help in another
language, search [international arch channels](
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Arch_IRC_channels#International_IRC_channels).

- __The main topic of #archlinux is support for and discussion about Arch Linux.__ General
  conversation on software and hardware is allowed so long as it does not interfere with the main
  topic of discussion. If you are asked to take something to another channel or private message you
  should do so.

- Read the channel topic on a regular basis with `/topic`. It often contains important information.

- There is only one official channel bot. `phrik!~archbot@archlinux/bot/phrik`. Do not spam bot
  commands and limit your usage to things that are helpful. If you want to bring your own bot into
  any Arch Linux channel, ask the operators before doing so.

- Do not flood the channel with text. This includes ASCII art, bot commands and error logs.
    - __Use a paste bin to share something longer than three lines__.
      `program &> program-output.txt` in combination with [pastebin clients](
      https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/List_of_applications#Pastebin_clients) can ease this
      step.
    - If you want to try out bot commands or look through the help function, then do it in a
      `/query` or `/msg`. Example: `/query phrik help <command>`.

- Auto-response in channel or in private message is not allowed with a single exception for away
  responses at nick highlights in a private message.

- Do not ask whether anyone is alive or uses your software, just state your question.

- Do not demand help; ask for it. Wait patiently for a few minutes before restating questions. Most
  questions get answered by _just another user_, like you.

- When asking for help, always reply to people that ask you for more information, if you do not
  know the answer then say so.

### Wiki

Guidelines for the [wiki](https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/ArchWiki:About) can be found in:

- [ArchWiki:Contributing#The 3 fundamental rules](
  https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/ArchWiki:Contributing#The_3_fundamental_rules)
- [Help:Style](https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Help:Style)
- [Help:Discussion](https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Help:Discussion)

### Bug tracker

Guidelines for the [bug tracker](https://bugs.archlinux.org/) can be found in
[Bug reporting guidelines](https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Bug_reporting_guidelines).

## Enforcement

If the staff in any of the fora considers that a member's behaviour is unacceptable and warrants
intervention, a warning will typically be issued unless the occurrence is judged to be especially
flagrant, in which case a ban may be issued immediately. Warnings will not be discussed on the Arch
Forums, IRC channels, or mailing lists by the staff. If the warning goes unheeded, further action
will be taken. This may range from locking the offending user account, to deletion or banning of
the user, out of consideration for a peaceful forum and community. Actions are usually conducted on
a case-by-case basis.

Each of the fora has an appeal process and if someone feels they were unjustly dealt with, they are
encouraged to plead their case for reinstatement through the appropriate channel (see below).

## Contacting the staff

If you feel that an egregious oversight has been made, or if you need to alert the staff of any
abusive behaviour, there are a number of ways you can ask for assistance or redress. These include:

- For the Forums: use the "Report" button found below every text box, or email
  [forum@archlinux.org](mailto:forum@archlinux.org) to contact the forum admins.
- For the Wiki: contact the [ArchWiki:Maintenance Team](
  https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/ArchWiki:Maintenance_Team).
- For the IRC channels: contact [one of the ops](
  https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Arch_IRC_channels#Channel_operators).

## About this document

This code of conduct has been originally developed on the Arch wiki, where [its history](
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=Code_of_conduct&action=history) can be found. Later
revisions of this document can be found in the [Arch Linux Service Agreements](
https://gitlab.archlinux.org/archlinux/service-agreements) repository.

The text is available under the terms of the [GNU Free Documentation License 1.3 or later](
https://www.gnu.org/licenses/fdl-1.3.html).