Duck Alignment Academy

Your only obligations are the promises you make

A recent policy change in libxml2 highlights the fact that project maintainers don’t have to do something just because it’s a good idea.

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If a tool is a means to an end (and it is!), then the right tool is the one that gets the job done. Even if it wasn’t intended for that purpose.

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It’s okay to be partial to — and promote — your own work, so long as you follow the community’s process.

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You can’t hide from the reality of a growth in non-coding tasks. If you want to keep writing code, recruit others to take on the rest.

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The Ghostty project requires bug reports to start as discussion threads. If they’re actionable, a maintainer converts the thread to an issue.

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Domains and IP blocks specifically reserved for documentation purposes are far better than the placeholders you’re probably using.

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You cannot decide on behalf of the community. Facilitating decisions is how you build a community that wants to stick around.

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Only 27% of projects that lose their core developers survive, but you can take steps to give your project its best chance.

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Think of it this way: having rules and policies for behavior in your community is like documenting the community’s API.

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It’s a good reminder that our audience is broader than we might think and we should act accordingly.

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