DISQUS

Name · 2 months ago

What about the handicapped black transvestite midgets. I don't think we are doing enough to cater to them.

lefty · 2 months ago

When it's demonstrated that "handicapped black transvestite midgets" are grossly under-represented in community development and that they're regularly made the objects of "harmless little jokes" in keynote speeches at major community events on an apparently-monthly-basis, then your frankly moronic comment might have some merit.

"If you can't keep up with the conversation, it's probably best not to try to join in at all..."~Hannibal Lecter, MD

Matthew L. · 2 months ago

Another factor to consider, when trying to describe the cause of the poor feminine representation, is that corporations are subject to more public scrutiny than open source initiatives are. They also have a higher stake in the market. Those two things conspire to make it worthwhile for them to address these issues, both to avoid criticism and to gain bragging rights that may attract more market share. Think about it this way how many of your non-techie friends know what OpenOffice or Mono even is? How many of them know what Microsoft, Apple, and Adobe are?

These forces will bear down more and more upon the open source movement as the general public becomes more aware of their presence, but that will take time. So, in addition to actively pushing, or pulling, women into the open source community, we should be working to make open source projects, and their operating practices more visible to general public, who ultimately provide the, perhaps fiduciary, impetus to that drives these changes we want and need. It is not enough to work from within, we also need pressure applied from the outside.

Hans Bezemer · 2 months ago

Thanks for pointing out the BN link. I will add it to the relevant blogpost as an update. Where my nickname is concerned, first note I don't live in an English speaking country. It was given to me when I was a student and it stuck.

I want to stress I'm not anti-Mono in itself, but given the current situation I do see problems in utilizing it. If this situation would change significantly, my position would change as well. If that nuance doesn't make any difference to you, fine.

Where the current discussion is concerned, we remain on the other side of the fence, no doubt about it.

Amos Denis · 2 months ago

What on earth do any of the presentations have to do with the anti-Mono crowd? Mark Shuttleworth in particular is in favour of Mono.
Are you interested in shooting at your own allies to badmouth the anti-Mono crowd? If so, good luck with that.

lefty · 2 months ago

"What on earth do any of the presentations have to do with the anti-Mono crowd?"

The anti-Mono crowd, in the persons of Roy Schestowitz, Sam Varghese and others of their ilk, seems to have a stake in quickly and consistently attempting to shut down discussion of the sexist content of those presentations. That's stated fairly clearly, actually. In just the past week, Varghese's unjustly accused Kirrily Robert of "jumping the gun", claimed that mdz called Shuttleworth "a sexist", and demanded that mdz leave his job at Canonical. Schestowitz has jumped to minimize Shuttleworth's remarks as well.

As I say, I have no horse in the Mono race, and I think Mark is a decent guy; I've met him and talked with him several times. Even decent guys can say excruciatingly objectifying things, but they apologize for them when they're pointed out.

If my suggesting that Mark should apologize constitutes "shooting" him in his view, then he's not an ally I particularly want to have.

Richard Chapman · 2 months ago

You make some good arguments but your association is meaningless.
How about:
Anti-Mono, Anti-Climate Control?
Anti-Mono, Anti-Mom and Apple Pie?
Anti-Mono, Anti-Organic Food?
Anti-Mono, Anti-Free Beer?

If Mono is as wonderful as I suspect you believe it is, then it doesn't need any help hitchhiking on the back of a completely unrelated issue.

lefty · 2 months ago

When I see a situation in which the "leaders of the free software community" are stridently, and regularly, arguing in favor of global warming, against Mom and apple pie, and so on, then I'll perhaps see some merit in this comment.

Right now, I see none whatsoever.