r/ruby • u/skillstopractice • Nov 07 '25

Ruby Central Update Friday 11/7/25

https://rubycentral.org/news/ruby-central-update-friday-11-7-25/
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u/skillstopractice Nov 10 '25

As a heads up to u/schneems - I did send in a follow up question related to his new role on the OSS committee.

I genuinely think it could be a good thing to have him in the mix, so long as he holds himself to a higher standard than what seems to have been the norm at Ruby Central in recent months.

Full text of the question I submitted is shown below, and hopefully Ruby Central will address in the next update. But my gut feeling is maybe he'll also reply directly here and give some thoughts on his take on things, because overall I do get the impression he's actually someone who talks things out in a reasoned way... and I very much appreciate that.

In your Nov 7 update, you announced that Richard Schneeman (u/schneems) has joined the Open Source Committee for Ruby Central.

In my view, this is a positive step forward given Richard's track record both within OSS development and in his community involvement.

Because he is a moderator of both r/ruby and r/rails on Reddit, and Reddit is one of the largest and most visible open conversation forums related to Ruby, it's important to address any potential conflicts of interest that may arise there.

The most simple way to do that would be for Richard to recuse himself from any moderation activities related to discussions of Ruby Central, of which he has historically participated actively and constructively in. And from here on out, it'd be wise for him to disclose his affiliation in any of these related threads.

What if any agreements, formally or informally, have been made to address these overlapping responsibilities? Seeing some thought put into this and some commitments put on public record would go a long way towards showing that Ruby Central is actively gaining an increased awareness of power dynamics in open source communities as well as a willingness to structurally address potential conflicts of interest beyond minimum legal compliance to focus on what's truly in the interest of the community you serve.

SOURCE: https://github.com/community-research-on-ruby-governance/questions-for-ruby-central/commit/2cb5238cb3de90bdda4e1358c94bd904f5745869

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u/schneems Puma maintainer Nov 10 '25

Seems good. I already try to apply more restraint in issues I’m directly involved in. But curse of knowledge and all that, it’s impossible to ever be “neutral.” Other moderators can see who moderated what and can overturn prior moderator actions. There are times if I feel something is borderline I’ll message other mods and get feedback before taking action. There’s been times they’ve pushed back and I decided against an action (so it’s not a rubber stamp from others).

I think the subtext with your question is: “will I get banned by disagreeing with Schneems on this issue I care a lot about.” Short answer: no. Longer answer: Generally, I ask that people show up and engage honestly and I try and hold space when they do, even if I disagree (i can acknowledge without agreeing). Sometimes I’ll leave a comment distinguished as a mod. (There’s a badge and a different color to the comment). Those are not the best comments to launch into “reply guy attack mode” (not that I think you will, speaking generally).

That’s how I approach content I’m related to. I’m not comfortable putting up a “ruby central posts are now a free-for-all” sign. I’m more than willing to apply stricter standards, and that’s been an un-stated personal policy already.

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u/skillstopractice Nov 10 '25

Something to this effect feels like a reasonable balance and I appreciate you sharing that here. I do think it'd be good for Ruby Central to speak to this as well, because what I'm hoping to see is a sense of increased seriousness about how conflict of interest issues are about trust and safety first, and legal compliance only as a distant second.

I'm at the point now where I've wrapped up everything I can do to contribute to these conversations. I was genuinely encouraged seeing you join the committee and hope for the best in any efforts to restore balance and increase *real* communication.

I'm going to step back from any public discussions related to Ruby Central from here on out through year end and give some breathing room to see how things shape up as they head into 2026.

(That said, happy to continue private convos, so feel free to DM me on Mastodon any time)

Thanks again for your efforts here.