Private Channels

With the exception of channels created to discuss security issues while they are in quarantine (and closed channels reserved for working group committee discussions), we provide no private channels for open source projects. This means that we do not provide private mailing lists (or any other private channels) for any project activity and that all mailing lists used for project activity are configured to have a public archive.

Private channels are an anti-pattern in open source. When your community members reach out to you personally, direct them to use the project’s preferred public discussion channels (public mailing lists, GitHub discussions, issues, etc.). Directing user questions to public channels preserves the open in open source.

Public channels:

• facilitate sharing knowledge and experience;
• allow the community to self-assist;
• scale much better than a one-on-one support model;
• protect committers from burnout;
• become a searchable knowledge base; and
• foster a sense of collective ownership that encourages new contributors to join.

It’s pretty natural for folks – especially those who are not familiar with open source – to be hesitant to use public channels. In my experience, most people get over this pretty quickly and engage in a manner that is consistent with the open source model.

2027-02-27: Updated to clarify that we also provide closed channels for working group committee discussions.

If you have questions about Eclipse Project Governance, open help desk issue or contact emo@eclipse-foundation.org (the irony of including this here is not lost on us; we’ll likely direct you to a public channel).