FSF to host a mini-summit on Women in Free Software

Posted Aug 27, 2009 0:14 UTC (Thu) by jordanb (guest, #45668)
In reply to: FSF to host a mini-summit on Women in Free Software by coriordan
Parent article: FSF to host a mini-summit on Women in Free Software

It's worth observing that neither Deborah Nicholson nor Stormy Peters are actually free software contributors themselves. Rather, they're professional hobnobbers who were hired by their respective organizations from outside the community for hobnobbing purposes.

There's nothing wrong with that, of course. It's something that needs to be done and I assume they're reasonably good at it. It makes me wonder, though, if either is going to have any real insight at all into what makes anyone -- let alone women -- get interested in Free Software. Since for both of them, what got them into the community was a paycheck.

FSF to host a mini-summit on Women in Free Software

Posted Aug 27, 2009 8:47 UTC (Thu) by james_w (guest, #51167) [Link]

For those looking for examples of examples of systematic discrimination of women in Free Software, how about telling some women that contribute to Free Software that they are not really contributors, either because their skills are not those that have traditionally been associated with Free Software, or because they like to earn a living from Free Software, rather than contributing only in their spare time?

Thanks,

James

FSF to host a mini-summit on Women in Free Software

Posted Aug 27, 2009 21:03 UTC (Thu) by garethgreenaway (guest, #60483) [Link] (2 responses)

How exactly do you measure a contribution to free & open source software? Is it strictly someone who writes code or has write access to a projects source control system? What about people who report bugs, do they count? What about the folks writing documentation for the free & open source projects, are they contributors? What about the people who simply talk about & promote the FLOSS projects, the community managers such as Jono Bacon or Joe "Zonker" Brockmeier, shall we count them?

Deborah Nicholson has been involved with the Free Software Foundation was several years now and I don't think anyone who knows how passionate she is about her work would ever refer to her simply as a professional hobnobber.

Stormy Peters began her career writing code and worked her way up the ranks in a commercial company that dealt with free & open source software. Only recently did she make the jump over to being the CEO of the GNOME Foundation.

Both of these woman are examples of women who are active contributions to the free & open source community. Neither one, like many others, doing it simply for a paycheck.

FSF to host a mini-summit on Women in Free Software

Posted Aug 27, 2009 21:13 UTC (Thu) by jordanb (guest, #45668) [Link] (1 responses)

As I said in that post.

And you and james_w have both so skillfully ignored.

I have no doubt that both Nicholson and Peters are doing things in their jobs that are very beneficial to Free Software. I have no doubt that what they're doing is important, and I assume they're both good at it and earning every penny they're being paid.

My entire point, in making that post, is to question if two people who were hired into the community might not have much insight on what makes a person come in by their own volition.

FSF to host a mini-summit on Women in Free Software

Posted Aug 28, 2009 2:13 UTC (Fri) by rahulsundaram (subscriber, #21946) [Link]

You should stop claiming that they were hired into the community even after you have have been explicitly told that it is not the case unless you have more details to add, of course.