Re: [ATTEND] How to act on LKML

Felipe Contreras
2013-07-20T12:35:50Z

On Fri, Jul 19, 2013 at 3:03 PM, Geert Uytterhoeven
<geert@linux-m68k.org> wrote:
> On Fri, Jul 19, 2013 at 8:42 PM, Felipe Contreras
> <felipe.contreras@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Fri, Jul 19, 2013 at 7:08 AM, Ingo Molnar <mingo@kernel.org> wrote:
>>>
>>> * Felipe Contreras <felipe.contreras@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>> As Linus already pointed out, not everybody has to work with everybody.
>>>
>>> That's not the point though, the point is to potentially roughly double
>>> the creative brain capacity of the Linux kernel project.
>>
>> Unfortunately that's impossible; we all know there aren't as many
>> women programmers as there are men. So there's absolutely *nothing*
>> the Linux kernel can do to double the creative brain capacity of the
>> Linux kernel project (at least with respect to women).
>
> There may be less women programmers than men programmers, but that
> doesn't say anything about the ratio of female Linux kernel hackers vs.
> female programmers.

I think it does, because Linux kernel programmers is a subset of
programmers; the very best and very low-level. Unless women
programmers are disproportionately biased towards low-level, and they
are significantly better than their male counterparts, I wouldn't be
holding my breath.

The best case scenario is that we are equal in that regard, in which
case you probably would expect to double or triple the number of
female programmers in Linux thanks to outreach programs, but certainly
not match the amount of male ones.

> So let's hope we can prove you wrong soon ;-)

I think you need more than "hope" to change one of the fundamental
rules of LKML; be open and honest, even if that means expressing your
opinion in a way that others might consider offensive and colorful.

--
Felipe Contreras