Code of Conduct

Introduction

This code of conduct applies to all spaces managed by the Icy project, including all public and private gitlab repositories, discussion forums, issue trackers, wikis, blogs, posts, Twitter, and any other communication channel used by our communities. Any events related to our community shall also be bound by this code of conduct or a very similar variant thereof.

We expect this code of conduct to be honored by everyone who participates in the Icy community formally or informally, or claims any affiliation with the project, in any project-related activities, and, especially, when representing the project, in any capacity.

This code of conduct is neither exhaustive nor complete. It serves to distill our common understanding of a collaborative, shared environment and goals. Please try to follow this code in spirit as much as in letter, to create a friendly and productive environment that enriches the surrounding community.

Specific Guidelines

We strive to:

1. Be open. We invite anyone to participate in our community. We preferably use public methods of communication for project-related messages, unless discussing something sensitive. This applies to messages for help or project-related support, too; not only is a public support request much more likely to result in an answer to a question, it also makes sure that any inadvertent mistakes made by people answering will be more easily detected and corrected.
2. Be empathetic, welcoming, friendly, and patient. We work together to resolve conflict, assume good intentions, and do our best to act in an empathetic fashion. We may all experience some frustration from time to time, but we do not allow frustration to turn into a personal attack. A community where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive one. We should be respectful when dealing with other community members as well as with people outside our community.
3. Be collaborative. Our work will be used by other people, and in turn we will depend on the work of others. When we make something for the benefit of the project, we are willing to explain to others how it works, so that they can build on the work to make it even better. Any decision we make will affect users and colleagues, and we take those consequences seriously when making decisions.
4. Be inquisitive. Nobody knows everything ! Asking questions early avoids many problems later, so questions are encouraged, though they may be directed to the appropriate forum. Those who are asked should be responsive and helpful, within the context of our shared goal of improving Icy project code.
5. Be careful in the words that we choose. Whether we are participating as professionals or volunteers, we value professionalism in all interactions, and take responsibility for our own speech. Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down other participants. Harassment and other exclusionary behavior are not acceptable. This includes, but is not limited to:
   • Violent threats or language directed against another person.
   • Sexist, racist, or otherwise discriminatory jokes and language.
   • Posting sexually explicit or violent material.
   • Posting (or threatening to post) other people’s personally identifying information (“doxing”).
   • Sharing private content, such as emails sent privately or non-publicly, or unlogged forums such as IRC channel history.
   • Personal insults, especially those using racist or sexist terms.
   • Unwelcome sexual attention.
   • Excessive or unnecessary profanity.
   • Repeated harassment of others. In general, if someone asks you to stop, then stop.
   • Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.
6. Be concise. Keep in mind that what you write once will be read by hundreds of persons. Writing a short email means people can understand the conversation as efficiently as possible. Short emails should always strive to be empathetic, welcoming, friendly and patient. When a long explanation is necessary, consider adding a summary. Try to stay on topic, especially in discussions that are already fairly large.

Diversity Statement

We encourages participation by everyone. We are committed to being a community that everyone feels good about joining. Although we may not be able to satisfy everyone, we will always work to treat everyone well.

No matter how you identify yourself or how others perceive you: we welcome you. Though no list can hope to be comprehensive, we explicitly honor diversity in: age, culture, ethnicity, genotype, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, neurotype, phenotype, political beliefs, profession, race, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, subculture and technical ability, to the extent that these do not conflict with this code of conduct.

Though we welcome people fluent in all languages, Icy development is conducted in English.

Standards for behavior in the Icy community are detailed in the Code of Conduct above. We expect participants in our community to meet these standards in all their interactions and to help others to do so as well.

Reporting Guidelines

While this code of conduct should be adhered to by participants, we recognize that sometimes people may have a bad day, or be unaware of some of the guidelines in this code of conduct. When that happens, you may reply to them and point out this code of conduct. Such messages may be in public or in private, whatever is most appropriate. However, regardless of whether the message is public or not, it should still adhere to the relevant parts of this code of conduct; in particular, it should not be abusive or disrespectful.

If you believe someone is violating this code of conduct, you may reply to them and point out this code of conduct. Such messages may be in public or in private, whatever is most appropriate. Assume good faith; it is more likely that participants are unaware of their bad behavior than that they intentionally try to degrade the quality of the discussion. Should there be difficulties in dealing with the situation, you may report your compliance issues at icy@bioimageanalysis.org. Currently, the following persons will receive your report:

• Stephane Dallongeville (Icy Lead developer)

Incident reporting

All complaints will be reviewed and investigated and will result in a response that is deemed necessary and appropriate to the circumstances. The project team is obligated to maintain confidentiality with regard to the reporter of an incident. Further details of specific enforcement policies may be posted separately.

Project maintainers who do not follow or enforce the Code of Conduct in good faith may face temporary or permanent repercussions as determined by other members of the project’s leadership.

Endnotes

This Code defines empathy as “a vicarious participation in the emotions, ideas, or opinions of others; the ability to imagine oneself in the condition or predicament of another.” Empathetic is the adjectival form of empathy.

This statement thanks the following, on which it draws for content and inspiration:

• Apache Code of conduct
• IGraph Project Code of Conduct
• Contributor Covenant Code of Conduct