http://oden-lang.org/code-of-conduct/
My gut feeling is that an early stage project such as Oden should simply focus on the technology, grow the community and then at a later stage consult with the community if they want to introduce a code of conduct.
When starting a project, you're not just starting writing a bunch of code. You're potentially starting an entire community, and in time an entire ecosystem. You can't pretend that you're just writing code and ignore the people developing and using it. Simply taking the default stance ("liberty is paramount, over and above people's protection from harassment and discrimination") is not apolitical, here or anywhere else.
Most people would not like to found a community that winds up going against their ethics on hugely important things related to the community and project itself. If you were an ethical vegan, you'd be unlikely to start a forum for steak-eaters - and if you're ethically pro-social-justice, you're unlikely to start a community based on unrestricted free speech within that community. To do anything else is to explicitly and intentionally support what you believe to be unethical, which is inherently unethical in itself.
Unless you post a political opinion that someone doesn't like on your own Twitter feed. Then you're in for it, cf. Opalgate.
I don't see this as being dramatically different - establishing the ground rules for contributors before they commit a single line, so they can make an informed decision as to whether they want to be involved or not.
http://lambda-the-ultimate.org/node/4287
Somebody shoot me when that happens.
Yeah, that approach didn't work out too hot for nanomsg. I'm not a big fan of CoC's[1], but if you're doing to use one, best to be up-front about it, so people can make an informed decision about whether or not they want to participate in the project. Rather than springing it on them later.
1. I prefer a ruthless enforcement of the standards of polite company. Chances are your mama/daddy/grandma taught you how to behave. Just enforce that, no reason to use some (often) patronizing document to enforce society standards.
1. Don't be rude.
2. Don't be stupid.
3. Check your identity politics at the door.
4. Listen to the moderators.
5. Do not complain about rules 1-5.
I don't expect it's everyone's cup of tea (I'm not even sure I'd use it unedited, if at all), but there's work being done in this space that isn't a variant of, say, the Contributor Covenant.
CoC projects often attract the worst politicians who are just acceptably polite on the surface but absolutely cold and ruthless in their actions. Ironically, these people also often tend to blog about politeness in OSS.
I'm sure that is the intent, but they make the code of conduct explicitly (and I would say somewhat aggressively) political. I think that it will deter a number of otherwise respectful and conscientious people.
In any case, I am glad that they are publishing a code of conduct. I don't like the content of the particular CoC they chose, but at least I know where they stand.
As for the project itself, it looks really cool. It seems to be addressing the kind of concerns that keep people like myself from engaging in the Go ecosystem.
I like to think that, but I'm really not convinced that it's true.
While it would be equally as nice to pretend everybody could just be fucking polite human beings as to pretend a true "meritocracy" could exist, that's just not reality.