The Man Who Started Open Source Initiative Advocates for Abolishing Codes of Conduct

Codes of Conduct have become standard practice across major open source projects. The Linux kernel, Fedora, Debian, Python, and countless other communities have adopted formal behavioral guidelines.

These policies typically outline expectations for respectful communication, consequences for harassment, and reporting mechanisms for violations. Proponents argue they lower barriers to entry, particularly for underrepresented groups.

However, Eric S. Raymond, author of the seminal essay "The Cathedral and the Bazaar" (Amazon partner link) and a foundational voice in the open source community, has declared these codes a complete failure.

In a recent post on X, Eric invoked his authority to condemn what he calls "ten years of drama and idiocy."

Are Codes of Conduct Necessary?

Raymond describes Codes of Conduct as "a kind of infectious social insanity producing lots of drama and politics and backbiting, and negative useful work." He argues that such codes have failed their stated purpose entirely. Rather than fostering collaboration, he claims they've become tools for causing disruption.

His first recommendation is to refuse to adopt a Code of Conduct. For projects that already have one, his advice is equally direct. Delete it. He argues the only actual function these documents serve is as weapons in the hands of what he calls "shit-stirrers."

For projects bureaucratically required to maintain such policies, Raymond offers an alternative: replace the entire code with one sentence. "If you are more annoying to work with than your contributions justify, you'll be ejected."

Raymond warns that attempts to be more specific and elaborate don't work. Instead, detailed rules "only provide control surfaces for shit-stirrers to manipulate." He's arguing that specificity itself creates the vulnerability, giving bad actors explicit terms to weaponize against others.

He acknowledges that kindness should be encouraged in community interactions. However, he insists communities must be ruthless and decisive towards people who try to turn "Be kind!" into a weapon.

My Take

I understand what Eric is trying to say here. Sometimes, the very rules that were supposed to nurture and protect a community can easily be misused by master manipulators (read: the narcissistic types).

But this doesn't mean we shouldn't have some organized way to handle things. We have to find a balance here and assign people who understand other people to enforce such rules. Otherwise, the whole open source ecosystem would descend into chaos.