On Mon, 2006-12-04 at 18:53 +0100, Olav Vitters wrote:

No. It's a condition that I put next to my signature. Not an assumption.

If the condition is false, my signature is invalid. If that isn't possible, then I'll unsign now (just let me know).

The definition of a jerk or being a jerk is bound to culture and cultural differences.

The version of 'being a jerk' in the Belgian village where I live differs from the version of three villages from where I live. Its definition differs between the version of my own parents and the parents of my girlfriend. It (therefore) differs between my girlfriends definition and my own definition.

It cannot, by definition, have the same definition when we are talking about cultures and nations.

Your example of 'being a jerk' is the perfect example of why these principles should never be officially enforced.

It's fine that you do not want to deal with them. I don't want do deal with jerks (in my own definition of it) either. It's, however, not the task of the GNOME organisation nor its community to differentiate between jerks nor to define who is and who isn't a jerk nor to define the meaning of the word jerk nor any of all this.

It has the task to suggest a meaningful and good suggestion on how to behave. Emphasis on the word "suggestion".

"I might disagree with what you have to say. But I will defend, to the death, your right to say it. I expand this to being a jerk. Everything that even comes a little bit close to trying to touch it: I'm against it."

Which doesn't mean that I can't disagree. Taking away my right to disagree would be a violation by itself.

If it's not possible that the person or group who makes this an official enforcement also removes my signature, I will remove mine right now.

Is it or isn't it possible?

It doesn't mean that I disagree with the content of the principles themselves. I do agree. I just don't want to enforce them. I do want to suggest them. It should be your free will, your OWN decision, whether or not you will behave like described in the principles.

An official enforcement would be the exact same thing as saying to people that they are simply not welcome unless they DO behave like these principles. It doesn't matter how soft you make it sound. Making it an official enforcement, or a policy, makes it hard. That, I specifically disagree with.

If it's not going to be you, who makes this hard, then it's going to be somebody else behind your back (in a few years, when you'll wear the old farts of GNOME hat). It would be naive to think that we, the GNOME community, are above the same mistakes other people also make. We most likely are not. We will alienate cultures, just like everybody else in this world does. Because we want them to be like, to behave like and finally to be us.

I disagree with that.