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Code of Ethics and Conduct

§1. Introduction

The Microservices Community is an international community interested in the software paradigm of Microservices where participants choose to work together to share knowledge about Microservices and to promote their development, in particular by bridging research, teaching, and innovation at businesses, universities, and individuals. The Microservices Community is committed to maintaining a positive environment, where each participant feels appreciated and respected and where everyone adheres to the same high level of standards of personal behaviour. The Community has a broad composition and in such diverse environment, misunderstandings and disagreements happen, which in most cases can be resolved informally.

This Code is udeful to define accepted and acceptable behaviours and to promote high standards of professional practice. The goald of this Code is to ensure that the Microservices Community is an environment where everyone can participate without fear of harassment or discrimination of any kind. It also provides a benchmark for self evaluation and acts as a vehicle for better identity of the organization.

§2. Statement of Intent

The Microservices Community is committed to maintaining a positive environment. This commitment calls for a place where participants at all levels behave according to the rules of the following code. A foundational concept of this code is that we all share responsibility for our environment.

§3. Code

§3.1 Expected Behaviour

Treat each other with respect, professionalism, fairness, and sensitivity to our many differences and strengths, including in situations of high pressure and urgency.

§3.2 Unacceptable Behaviour

Unacceptable behaviours run counter to the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. This list of unacceptable behaviours does not cover every case. Each person you interact with is unique, and behaviour must be assessed on an individual level. Ensuring that your behaviour does not have a negative impact is your responsibility. The Microservices Community strictly prohibits discrimination, intimidation, harassment, and bullying of any kind and on any basis.

Unacceptable behaviours include, but are not limited to:

§3.3 Safety versus Comfort

This Code prioritizes the safety of individuals, particularly those in marginalized communities, over the comfort of others, for example in situations involving:

§4. Reporting Violations and Supporting the Code

If you are concerned about your immediate safety, contact local emergency services. For a face to face event you may need to contact venue staff for assistance contacting emergency services. All events organised or endorsed by the Microservices Community must follow the this Code and the Code for Endorsed Events or implement equivalent guarantees.

In most instances if you have an issue with someone’s behaviour along the lines of this Code then please raise it; there are a few potential people you could raise it to depending on your situation and your safety.

In most cases, issues are best resolved at the source. Accordingly, raising the issue with the group chair or team contact of the relevant group is usually the best first place to raise an issue. Group chairs and team contacts also have more of the context which helps them address the issue.

You are welcome to raise issues directly by filling an incident report as described below. All complaints will be taken seriously, kept confidential, and will receive a response.

If you are responsible for a group within the Microservices Community such as in the role of a chair of a community group and you witness harassment or any other behaviour which goes against this Code it is your duty to address this issue immediately and take action to stop. You are encouraged to address this issue directly or, seek assistance from the Microservices Community by filling an incident report as described above. either directly or filling an incident report as described below.

§4.1 Reporting

To report an incident to the Council (or its delegates), please fill an incident report with the Ethics Group. You can contact the Ethics Group at its main email address or its members directly. All complaints will be taken seriously, kept confidential, and will receive a response.

§5. If You’ve Done Something Improper

As we engage in diverse communities we may accidentally cause offence, whether through using unknowingly offensive terminology or through missing social cues.

If you realize (or are told) that you have offended someone then take the appropriate steps:

Alice: “Yeah I used X and it was really crazy!” Eve: “Hey, could you not use that word? What about ‘ridiculous’ instead?” Alice: “oh sorry, sure.” -> edits old message to say “Yeah I used X and it was really confusing!”

This will allow conversation to quickly continue without any need of further action or escalating the situation.

If you don’t understand what you did wrong, assume that the hurt party has good cause and accept it. We cannot know everyone’s background and should do our best to avoid harm. You are welcome to discuss it with a Microservices Community mediating person later.

§6. Attribution

Large portions of the text for this policy were taken from the following resources: