[gedy]

Do tech conferences honestly need codes of conduct? Feels a bit like living in a home - some folks hate the idea of Home Owner Associations with their explicit rules, others can't imagine living next to people without everything spelled out.

[smt88]

> Do tech conferences honestly need codes of conduct?

Yes. "Common sense" and "common decency" aren't universal, even in situations that seem to fall under obvious and well-established social norms.

It's better to have these things written out so that no one can claim they didn't know any better. No one is asking the attendees to take this conduct into the rest of their lives -- it's just a way to behave that everyone can agree upon ahead of time to keep things civil.

[someguydave]

> It's better to have these things written out so that no one can claim they didn't know any better.

No, it's not better. One cannot substitute common decency with a document, and it's a fool's errand to try.

[smt88]

You're right. We should have no laws. /s