[Linux-aus] An Open Letter to the Open Source Community

[Paul Shirren]

Don Knowles wrote:
 > I've only just signed up to this mailing list, and I've got 5 days worth
 > of emails ... and the last 3 days has been about
 > "don't discriminate against women in Linux / FOSS"
 > and "we don't do that" or "what are you talking about".

Hi Don. Usually this list is very quiet.

Women in Linux/FOSS is a very good topic to discuss, as long as it is 
done positively. We could have done without some of the knee jerk 
reactions (you guys should watch Life on Mars on the ABC. It is a great 
show and some of you should be in it)

At most LUG meetings you will notice there are not many women present. 
It is very much a boys club. Despite this many of the significant 
contributors to the advancement of FOSS in Australia are women.

If we can work find some constructive ways to address why FOSS is not 
attractive to women we may be further down the track to getting 
widespread adoption of FOSS. In the wider world it is geeky blokes who 
are the minority and women the majority.

We need to step outside our comfort zone and step into the hall of 
mirrors and take a hard look if we are ever going to progress into 
mainstream adoption.