commit 814f8436d335f83fe716b5ea626de77f58f6e125
parent a2b7dd29ed26fda2b7061d10eac8498fa8deca6d
Author: Drew DeVault <sir@cmpwn.com>
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2023 11:41:27 +0200
A note from Hare's BDFL
Adds a document which explains my role and responsibilities and how best
to utilize me to further the best interests of the community.
Diffstat:
| A | docs/bdfl.md | | | 58 | ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ |
1 file changed, 58 insertions(+), 0 deletions(-)
diff --git a/docs/bdfl.md b/docs/bdfl.md
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+# A note from Hare's BDFL
+
+Hi! My name is Drew DeVault. I am the original author and designer of the Hare
+programming language, and, with the mandate of the Hare community, I am the
+project's benevolent dictator for life (BDFL).
+
+The Hare project has grown a lot since I started working on it, and today there
+are many talented people who work on the project at all levels, including those
+coding in the trenches, in leadership positions, setting cultural norms, and
+maintaining various subsystems or co-maintaining the project as a whole. For the
+most part, the project runs smoothly thanks to their efforts and does not
+require me to tread on too many toes.
+
+In my role as the BDFL, I aim to offer the project a number of helpful
+resources, such as:
+
+- Overseeing the fiduciary responsibilities of the project
+- Setting (and clarifying) the broader vision and direction for the project
+- Organizing participants and empowering them to roles for which they are suited
+- Planning long-term priorities and design goals
+- Mediating conflicts in the community
+- Providing the last word when consensus cannot be reached
+
+I also have the burden of doing the nasty work when necessary: if required I may
+exercise my power to remove difficult parties from the community, revoke
+permissions of participants if necessary, or put my foot down on a proposal that
+does not align with the project vision.
+
+I am endowed with the last word, but I aim not to use it when it can be avoided.
+I am a very busy person, and the project's scope exceeds my ability to manage it
+alone. As such, it delights me when the community steps up to take on
+responsibilities at every level. I try not to impose my will on the project too
+much -- it's better if my role as the BDFL is a tool that the community chooses
+to use when necessary.
+
+If my resources are required to see something through, I have some specific
+appeals regarding how community members can best utilize my attention. I cannot
+keep up with most of the IRC discussions and a substantial fraction of the
+mailing lists, but I will endeavour to participate when my presence is directly
+requested.
+
+If you require simple admin tasks, that only I am able to perform (e.g. spending
+money on something, updating harelang.org DNS, managing contributor permissions
+on SourceHut, etc), send me an email directly (sir@cmpwn.com) and I'll try to
+get it done within a day or two.
+
+Otherwise, you can get my attention on a discussion by Cc'ing me directly on an
+email or mentioning my name (ddevault) on IRC.\* You can also reach out to me
+privately via email or IRC if you have something specific to discuss or request.
+The latency on such requests may be annoying, but please be patient and I will
+strive to answer in the timeliest manner possible.
+
+\* If you mention me on IRC please include a small summary of what you need in
+the same message as my handle, so that I can still grasp the situation if I am
+away from IRC for a few hours and the backlog fills up.
+
+That's all! Thanks for participating in the Hare community, and thanks for your
+trust. Have fun out there!
