Messages in this thread | | | From | Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton <> | Date | Mon, 17 Sep 2018 03:15:48 +0100 | Subject | Re: Linux 4.19-rc4 released, an apology, and a maintainership note |
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hi linus,
just saw the note on slashdot. i just wanted to say how amazed, relieved and delighted i was to see what you wrote. that you recognised that you needed to reflect, *sought feedback*, and, most importantly, were willing and able to discuss that and ask publicly. as the longest-serving contributor with the highest expertise, on *the* world's largest software project by a long, long margin, your words have a staggeringly-high "weight", so it is absolutely inspiring (and a huge relief).
you therefore deserve a thoughtful answer. however, i thought it best to also provide some "immediate" feedback, as well. as someone who has had... *deep breath*... an extremely difficult time in the software libre world due to holding strict ethical values with high integrity, i have had to do one hell of a lot of research into resources to help with communication and dealing with conflict. whilst they are not actually the real underlying concept, they're guides and tools that are at least intellectually understandable, if that makes any sense:
* the bill of ethics - https://www.titanians.org/the-bill-of-ethics/ * the titanian's "code of honour" - https://www.titanians.org/titanian-code-of-honor/ * the "conflict resolution network" - http://www.crnhq.org/ (see "12 skills summary") * powerful non-defensive communication - http://pndc.com/ * "Invisible Dynamics" - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/3896704915 (specifically the page outlining the 6 systemic laws of organisations: page 23 i *think*. my copy unfortunately is in storage). * the "MASH" actor who is teaching scientists to communicate: https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/mgbwkn/how-a-former-mash-actor-is-teaching-scientists-to-be-extroverts
last on the list (and i prefer not to provide a link as it may need explanation, and the website is too specific / slightly mis-directing) if you're specifically considering some sort of "coach" to work with, do contact me off-list and i can recommend someone who has helped me, who also has experience helping businesses and organisations, not just individuals.
it's very late here, so i will put some thought into a more comprehensive reply over the next couple of days: the main thing that i wanted to get across straight away was that i am responding precisely because your message resonates with, and is basically indicative of, ethical behaviour. as in, just the very act of asking for constructive feedback is an absolute and fundamental requirement for anyone wishing to call their behaviour "ethical". why? because if you're not asking others for *outside* help in evaluating if you are acting ethically, how the hell can you ever tell if your behaviour is "good" or "bad"??
as in: you absolutely cannot tell if you are "on-target" to reach a goal if you don't have any kind of feedback loop! it's real simple, and yet so many people go through life completely unconscious of, unaware of, and unable to discuss or even think about, this absolutely simple and fundamental requirement!
and that alone is really, *really* important. we have way, *way* too many software libre projects increasing in importance that are also operating completely unethically, yet they *genuinely* believe that just because the source is "open", everything must automatically be "fine". i won't give examples: there's just simply too many.
so what you've said that you intend to do, here, is not just about you: you've created a key pivotal moment that will show other projects why it's not just about the code: it's about people, and communication. it always has been.
*thumbs-up*.
l.
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