Open Source Movie Time.

Story: Opinion: Sexism is Alive and Well in Linux/FOSSTotal Replies: 11
Author Content
Bob_Robertson

Sep 16, 2009
5:33 PM EDT
"Linux Needs Women"
gus3

Sep 16, 2009
6:10 PM EDT
Are you providing a testing thread for the new moderation scheme?

LOL
Bob_Robertson

Sep 17, 2009
8:51 AM EDT
Well, it seems just a restatement of, "F/OSS developers and community must stop tolerating sexism in order to foster a more supportive community where female developers and users can find themselves accepted as individuals, instead of being driven off by boorish attitudes and deliberate blindness to the problems of intolerance and the gross under-representation of the gender that makes up 50+% of the population."

How about, "Dudes, get a clue. Be polite and considerate of you're never going to get a girlfriend."?

I believe a multi-pronged approach is best. I would rather educate through humor than get all dour and morose and drive away the people who use F/OSS because it's fun.
tuxchick

Sep 17, 2009
10:09 AM EDT
Oh, so now it's about getting girlfriends? How enlightened!
gus3

Sep 17, 2009
10:42 AM EDT
Or ex-wife, in my case.
Bob_Robertson

Sep 17, 2009
10:58 AM EDT
> Oh, so now it's about getting girlfriends?

There is no stronger motivation in a young male than that.

Cue that instinct, and they learn very quickly.

Caitlyn's example was the benefit of using the corporate sword of Damocles in order to cut a bunch of isms in the bud and thereby provide an "inclusive" workplace. But F/OSS doesn't have the ability to fire anyone.

We must persuade, rather than threaten.

> How enlightened!

I've said I was a dinosaur, which I guess means to some people that I get my girlfriends with a club. I also prefer subnetting and routing to VPNs.

tuxchick

Sep 17, 2009
11:44 AM EDT
Oh, my mistake Bob, I thought you wanted a serious discussion and not some comedy. Never mind, my mistake!
TxtEdMacs

Sep 17, 2009
11:47 AM EDT
Bob,

Please, don't say this:
Quoting: ... I was a dinosaur ...
, since despite their probable brutish characteristics they lasted far longer than it is likely the reign of humanity will persist. Our supposed intelligence will be of no advantage when only a few possess foresight while the rest prefer their comfort with current conditions. No matter how suicidal. A few hundred million years as still looks like a more successful run than is likely for us.

Also the next time you are out, take a good look at some of the birds, particular ravens and crows. Some are surprisingly intelligent, their motions and structure resemble their ancestors (as confirmed by recent DNA sampling). See they are still here, despite our best efforts of killing off all other species. So if you reflect on this you might see it might not be necessary to apologize for sharing characteristics of a supposedly extinct animal.

To me it's like some of the Terminator series, I happen to prefer the Sarah Connors Chronicles - I root for the robots, they seem to be less the pathological murderers than the not so reflective humans.

[All Too Serious]

YBT
jdixon

Sep 17, 2009
12:44 PM EDT
> , "Dudes, get a clue. Be polite and considerate of you're never going to get a girlfriend."?

I've heard from usually reliable sources that that's not really true, though I can't speak from personal experience.
Bob_Robertson

Sep 17, 2009
1:20 PM EDT
> Our supposed intelligence will be of no advantage when only a few possess foresight while the rest prefer their comfort with current conditions. No matter how suicidal.

Now Tex, let's not let politics squeak in here.

> A few hundred million years as still looks like a more successful run than is likely for us.

Humans do seem to be a transitory species. Something more stable, less suicidal, must arise. In my _opinion_, this will most likely come about once we have exceeded the bounds of this rock.

> I root for the robots

The next species to follow may very well be children of our minds, rather than out bodies.
gus3

Sep 17, 2009
3:36 PM EDT
Maybe "Linux Needs Women" should be the next Blender movie.
hkwint

Sep 17, 2009
7:22 PM EDT
Quoting:Maybe "Linux Needs Women" should be the next Blender movie.


If you really want more women helping the Linux platform, you'd better stress -the impact FLOSS has on society, -the relation with licenses / copyright and philosophy / moral aspects (but maybe better don't try to discuss that at LXer though), -the relations between humans needed to develop software -the creativity needed to code / write manuals -the people skills it takes to manage huge projects like the Linux-kernel -the nice gatherings with attendants from all over the world

Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I think lots of women are interested in work dealing with society issues, relations between humans, traveling and creativity. People who did research on psychosocial stressors in inter-human relationships are probably very qualified to deal with flamewars in bugzilla's.

And then the sexism should be dealt with also, of course, to make women feel welcome.

But probably that attempt is way to serious for this thread anyway.

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