Geek girls are almost the stuff of legend. Women make up only 30% of regular computer users, and as little as 2% of Linux users.
But why should this be the case? The reason for this can be as elusive as the Linux-using women themselves – for every survey or paper saying that they are not given the same chances or opportunities, there is another one saying exactly the opposite. Lost in the midst of all this controversy, however, is the fact that little if anything is being done to interest women in computing, in Linux, or in Gentoo.
Groups such as the Debian project are seeking to change that. Debian Women, founded in 2004, was set up to encourage women to become more involved with Linux. The group maintains an IRC channel and a mailing list for the discussion of technical issues, as well as maintaining a public presence at Linux-related conferences and events. They also run an extensive mentoring program whereby women are paired up with a mentor who will spend the time to help them find answers to their questions, and get to know the distribution, as well as the community and Linux in general. This mentoring program adds a personal element to the process, and helps to guide people towards working more effectively with Linux. Unfortunately though, as the name implies, their efforts focus very much on encouraging their members to use Debian.
The idea was recently floated of starting a similar project for the women of Gentoo, and we would like your thoughts on the matter. Would such a project be welcome within the community, and would people take advantage of it? What would you like to see the project do, and how? Would you volunteer your time and/or money to encourage people, not just women, to use Gentoo, and to mentor and help users?
All groups, regardless of their origins, need 'fresh blood' to survive – members will inevitably depart, and without a steady stream of people joining the group will diminish with time. If we do not reach out to the community, we miss out on a lot of good ideas and talented people that are out there. Let's make the effort to do so, rather than wallowing in complacency and resisting any change.
fonte: http://www.gentoo.org/news/en/gwn/20060612-newsletter.xml
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Willian Ferraz
Geek_Slack
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ICQ#7439928
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To communicate is the beginning of understanding.
-- AT&T
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