The debate surrounding the Codes of Conduct (CoC) adopted by Open Source projects may be reaching a turning point. In September 2025, a controversy erupted over the governance of RubyGems, a cornerstone of the Ruby ecosystem, sending significant ripples through the community. While not directly related, this turmoil served as a catalyst for two prominent figures, David Heinemeier Hansson (DHH), the creator of Ruby on Rails, and Eric S. Raymond (ESR), a former Open Source evangelist, to launch scathing critiques of modern CoC–particularly the Contributor Covenant–on X. DHH condemned detailed and strict CoC like the Contributor Covenant as a “trojan horse” that should be purged from projects. ESR went even further, asserting that CoC are nothing more than a “tool for troublemakers” and that the best course of action is to delete them entirely from projects. While both individuals are often seen as controversial figures in the community, their views on this matter align closely with my own. How did the CoC, once considered a tool to foster collaboration and maintain a healthy community, become the subject of such intense controversy? This article will historically trace the journey of CoC in open source, from their early days through their proliferation and transformation, to the adverse effects seen today, arguing why an excessive CoC is unnecessary for many Open Source projects. In conclusion, it will show that a return to the CoC’s origins–adopting norms that are right-sized for the scale and culture of individual projects–is the true foundation for a sustainable development community. When Open Source Projects Met the Power of the CoCDebian’s Stagnation and Ubuntu’s Rise: The Foundational Experience of the CoC’s Early DaysFrom Conferences to Projects: The Generalization of NormsStandardization and Mainstreaming via the Contributor CovenantThe Pathologies and Pushback Against Strict CoCThe Mass Resignation of the Rust Moderation TeamImplications from the RubyGems In...
First seen: 2025-09-30 08:36
Last seen: 2025-09-30 08:36