There was a CoC (The Code of Conflict) before this new one, and laid out pretty well what the telos was[0]. It was actually pretty mild, and did forbid harassm

There was a CoC (The Code of Conflict) before this new one, and laid out pretty well what the telos was[0]. It was actually pretty mild, and did forbid harassment, but its purpose was to highlight how producing the best possible kernel was the ethos of the community. Some will claim of course that it didn't do enough to highlight what was considered harassment, or that it didn't really have teeth because it didn't specify any consequences for bad behavior. (The TAB members, for their part, are trying to allay the concerns of critics of the new CoC by essentially claiming that it still has no teeth, because the TAB cannot prevent maintainers from accepting contributions from people who allegedly violate the CoC). The new CoC has a specifically different primary purpose: > In the interest of fostering an open and welcoming environment, we as contributors and maintainers pledge to making participation in our project and our community a harassment-free experience for everyone In other words, the goal has shifted from producing the best possible kernel to creating a welcoming environment for everyone. Now, even if you believe both are good goals, and even if you believe that these goals can be pursued in a synergistic manner, there's still a question of which is more fundamental to the ethos of the community. [0]https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/v4.10/process/code-of-conflict.html https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/v4.10/process/code-of-confli...