Rewrite the Code of Conduct document.

This is a rewrite of the document by Moonchild. Although the rough layout of the previous document is maintained, it is a significantly expanded and rewritten version no longer related to the contributor-covenant version that was initially used.

1 files changed, 33 insertions, 28 deletions

diff --git a/docs/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md b/docs/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
index bcd8b8f77..68d1dcc60 100644
--- a/docs/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
+++ b/docs/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
@@ -1,48 +1,53 @@
 # Contributor Code of Conduct
 
-## Our Pledge
+This code of conduct is intended to lay down the basis on which we, as a community of developers and maintainers, work with each other and with others outside of the community. As always when dealing with groups of people from many different backgrounds, there are no hard and fast rules here, and the intention is not to lay down any sort of restrictive frame to work in, but rather to clarify how we (prefer to) approach each other when working together as volunteers/professionals to improve our respective projects, products and life.
 
-In the interest of fostering an open and welcoming environment, we as contributors and maintainers pledge to making participation in our project and our community a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of age, physical attributes, disability, ethnicity, level of experience, nationality, personal appearance, race, religion, or sexual orientation.
+## Our Goal with this Code of Conduct
 
-## Our Standards
+We, as contributors and maintainers, aim to create a _focused but welcoming_ environment for others; collaboration, acceptance and respect are the cornerstones upon which we must build our community, otherwise there is no future for it. As such, we want to keep participation in our project and community free of harassment. We therefore ask of everyone, new contributors and long-standing members alike, to be accepting of others regardless of their age, ethnicity, level of experience, nationality, personal appearance, race, religion, or sexual orientation. None of these (and alike) attributes should influence how we work together in this project, and should not be grounds to judge or dismiss work done.
 
-Examples of behavior that contributes to creating a positive environment include:
+## Examples of acceptable and unacceptable behavior
 
-* Using welcoming and inclusive language
-* Being courteous (use "please" when you ask something of someone)
-* Being respectful of differing viewpoints and experiences
+Please note that these lists are examples and not exhaustive. If you have any doubts whether behavior is considered unacceptable, always err on the side of caution.
+
+Examples of behavior that helps create a positive working environment:
+
+* Using friendly, neutral and welcoming language.
+* Being clear in your descriptions and not assuming the reader has any sort of prior knowledge of what you are talking about.
+* Being courteous (use "please" when you ask something of someone).
+* Being respectful of differing viewpoints and experiences.
 * Gracefully accepting constructive criticism, even if you disagree with such criticism.
 * Similarly, accepting that someone may not act on criticism given.
-* Focusing on what is best for the community and its projects
-* Showing understanding and a reasonable level of empathy towards other community members
-
-Examples of unacceptable behavior by participants include:
+* Focusing on what is best for the community and its projects instead of individuals.
+* Showing understanding and a reasonable level of empathy towards other community members.
 
-* Unwelcome sexual attention or advances
-* Trolling, insulting/derogatory comments, and personal or political attacks
-* Public or private harassment
-* Publishing others' private information, such as a physical or electronic address, without explicit permission
-* Other conduct which could reasonably be considered inappropriate in a professional setting
+Examples of unacceptable behavior:
 
-## Our Responsibilities
+* Unwelcome personal attention or advances (sexual or otherwise). If someone asks you to stop approaching them, please respect that.
+* Displaying disproportionate levels of moral outrage and offense, especially when in response to someone's opinion.
+* Bullying, trolling, insulting/derogatory comments, and personal or political attacks.
+* Public or private harassment of other community members/contributors.
+* Publishing others' personal/private information, such as a physical or electronic address, without explicit permission.
+* Other conduct which could reasonably be considered inappropriate in a professional/workplace setting.
 
-Project maintainers are responsible for clarifying the standards of acceptable behavior and are expected to take appropriate and fair corrective action in response to any instances of unacceptable behavior.
+## Responsibilities of the project's staff/leadership
 
-Project maintainers have the right and responsibility to remove, edit, or reject comments, commits, code, wiki edits, issues, and other contributions that are not aligned to this Code of Conduct or community's or projects' best interests, or to ban temporarily or permanently any contributor for other behaviors that they deem inappropriate, threatening, offensive, or harmful.
+Project maintainers are responsible for clarifying the standards of acceptable behavior and are expected to take appropriate and above all fair corrective action in response to instances of unacceptable behavior.
 
-## Scope
+Corrective action: Project staff has the right and responsibility to evaluate, and if necessary to remove, edit, or reject any comments, repository commits, code changes, wiki edits, issues or issue comments, and other contributions that are not aligned with this Code of Conduct or the community's or projects' best interests, or to ban (temporarily or permanently) any contributor, community member or maintainer for other behaviors that they deem inappropriate, threatening, offensive, or harmful. In cases where there is no clear and definitive breach of rules or common sense, it is expected that staff members consult with project leadership before bans are issued to discuss the severity and intended action.
 
-This Code of Conduct applies both within project spaces and in public spaces when an individual is representing the project or its community. Examples of representing a project or community include using an official project e-mail address, posting via an official social media account, acting on behalf of the project on IRC or other chat networks, or acting as an appointed representative at an online or offline event. Representation of a project may be further defined and clarified by project maintainers.
+## Applicability
 
-## Enforcement
+This Code of Conduct applies within project spaces (forum, website, IRC, repositories and other project-controlled resources with user interaction) as well as in public spaces when an individual is representing the project or its community. Examples of representing a project or community include using an official project e-mail address, posting via an official social media account, acting on behalf of the project on IRC or other chat networks, or acting as an appointed or voluntary (spontaneous) representative at an online or offline event. Representation of a project in general should be courteous, respectful, and at all times keeping in mind that any representation reflects directly on the project's public image. Do not claim to officially represent the project if you have any doubts about your ability to maintain a professional composure that does not harm the project.
 
-Instances of abusive, harassing, or otherwise unacceptable behavior may be reported by contacting the project owner at moonchild@palemoon.org. The project owner will review and investigate all complaints, and will respond in a way that they deem appropriate for the circumstances. The project team is generally obligated to maintain confidentiality with regard to the reporter of an incident, although in exceptional cases where intervention of authorities is required, the reporter may be individually identified to aid in the investigation or resolution of a conflict situation. Further details of specific enforcement policies may be posted separately.
+## Enforcing this Code of Conduct
 
-Project maintainers who do not follow or enforce the Code of Conduct in good faith may face temporary or permanent repercussions as determined by other members of the project's leadership.
+We expect our community to apply a good measure of self-regulation when it comes to the conduct displayed by its members. We believe that any community of adults is capable of applying the concepts of common sense, common decency and common courtesy to interactions between its members.
+That said, there are always exception situations possible where things need to be escalated, which is where this section comes into play.
+Incidents involving abusive, harassing, or otherwise unacceptable behavior that need to be escalated for resolution may be reported by contacting the project owner at moonchild@palemoon.org. The project owner will then review and investigate all complaints and related communication of the case, and will respond in a way that they deem appropriate for the circumstances.
 
-## Attribution
+## Confidentiality
 
-This Code of Conduct is adapted from the [Contributor Covenant][homepage], version [1.4][version].
+The project team is generally obligated to maintain confidentiality with regard to the reporter of an incident, although in exceptional cases where intervention of authorities is required, the reporter may be individually identified to aid in the investigation or resolution of a conflict situation.
 
-[homepage]: http://contributor-covenant.org
-[version]: http://contributor-covenant.org/version/1/4/
+Project staff members who do not follow or enforce the Code of Conduct in good faith may face temporary or permanent repercussions as determined by other members of the project's staff. Being a member of staff does not excuse you from adhering to acceptable behavior outlined in this Code of Conduct.