doc: add technical values document

As part of the [next-10](https://github.com/nodejs/next-10) we found
we needed to capture the project's technical values/priorities as
a starting point before discussing key technologies/areas for the
next 10 years of Node.js

This is a first cut that the team put together. The discussion
took place in a few meetings as well as this
[PR](nodejs/next-10#11). We believe the doc
should live in the core node repository as it is intended to
reflect the agreement of the collaborator base.

I think this is a good starting point but we also
acknowledge that only a small subset of the Node.js collaborators
have participated/commented so far. This PR should be a good
way to get additional review/input from the larger set
of Node.js collaborators.

Signed-off-by: Michael Dawson <[email protected]>

Author: mhdawson

README.md

@@ -144,6 +144,7 @@ For information on reporting security vulnerabilities in Node.js, see
 * [Contributing to the project][]
 * [Working Groups][]
 * [Strategic Initiatives][]
+* [Technical values and prioritization][]
 
 ## Current Project Team Members
 
@@ -635,3 +636,4 @@ Other keys used to sign some previous releases:
 [OpenJS Foundation]: https://openjsf.org/
 [Working Groups]: https://github.com/nodejs/TSC/blob/master/WORKING_GROUPS.md
 [Strategic Initiatives]: https://github.com/nodejs/TSC/blob/master/Strategic-Initiatives.md
+[Technical values and prioritization]: TECHNICAL_VALUES_AND_PRIORITIZATION.md

TECHNICAL_VALUES_AND_PRIORITIZATION.md

@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+# Technical Values and Priorities
+
+This document outlines the project's technical values and relative
+prioritization used when making tradeoffs.
+
+## Values and priority level
+
+This is only a subset of the overall priorities, listing only
+those which are at the top of the priority list. Anything on this
+list is very important for the project despite the relative priorities shown.
+
+* Priority 1 - Developer experience
+* Priority 2 - Stability
+* Priority 3 - Operational qualities
+* Priority 4 - the Node.js maintainer experience
+* Priority 5 - Technology and API currency
+
+## Value descriptions
+
+### Developer Experience
+We value ensuring that developers are productive and enjoy developing
+with Node.js. Some key elements of this include:
+* Approachability (both technical and community)
+* Great Documentation
+* Bundling friction-reducing APIs and components, even though
+  they could be provided externally
+* Enabling/supporting external packages to ensure overall developer experience
+
+### Stability
+To avoid introducing churn into the Node.js ecosystem, we value stability
+and consistency across releases and avoid breaking changes.
+Some key elements of this include:
+* Backwards compatibility
+* Predictable and stable releases
+* A strong safety net, including explicitly testing how changes
+  in Node.js affect userland packages.
+* Careful consideration of what goes into LTS releases
+
+### Operational Qualities
+We value keeping Node.js safe, performant and lightweight as
+well as the ability to investigate and debug problems in
+development and production. Some key elements of this include:
+* Throughput (speed)
+* Startup time
+* Binary size
+* Memory footprint
+* Debug tooling (debugger)
+* Diagnostic tooling (profilers, heapdumps, coredumps, etc.)
+* Addressing security vulnerabilities in a responsible manner
+
+### Node.js Maintainer Experience
+We value the productivity and happiness of the Node.js maintainers.
+Some key elements of this include:
+* Approachability of the codebase
+* Good internal documentation and guides
+* Low-friction policies and processes
+* Good CI and tooling to make maintainers productive
+
+### Providing modern APIs and Technologies
+We value providing developers with modern APIs and technologies
+following existing standards whenever possible.
+Some key elements of this include:
+* Participating in standards work and organizations
+* Web API compatibility
+* Supporting and exposing new technologies and standards through early adoption