Recently, the moderators of the forums and repositories of NIXOS announced their decision to remove their authority in light of interference from the Steering Committee. The Committee’s actions were deemed as an abuse of power by the moderators, who felt that they could no longer conscientiously carry out their duties under such circumstances. The project rules did not address this situation, prompting the moderators to take this drastic step.
The disagreements stemmed from differing views between the Managing Committee and the moderators on how to handle conflicts within the community. The Committee was averse to criticism and avoided discussions on contentious issues, while the moderators believed that open dialogue was essential for the project’s growth. They emphasized the importance of constructive discussions that did not devolve into personal attacks.
Some of the actions of the Management Committee that were deemed unacceptable by the moderators included attempts to overturn decisions made by the moderators, pressuring individual participants, and lacking transparency in decision-making processes. The Committee also made unilateral decisions on appointing and removing moderators without proper consultation, claiming to seek diversity in opinions within the moderator team. The moderators called for more transparency, accountability, and mechanisms to prevent the abuse of power within the Steering Committee.