[dot] Interview: Elizabeth Krumbach of LinuxChix

[Dot Stories]

URL: http://dot.kde.org/1158867833/

From: Wade Olson <>
Dept: An-8086-started-it-all
Date: Thursday 21/Sep/2006, @12:43

Interview: Elizabeth Krumbach of LinuxChix
==========================================

   As women become more involved with open source communities, it's
important that their voices be heard. The dot is beginning a new series
of interviews with women who contribute to F/OSS. Our first interviewee
is Elizabeth Krumbach, who is the coordinator for the Philadelphia area
LinuxChix [http://www.linuxchix.org] chapter. Read on to find out how
she became involved with computers, why she likes to buy equipment
online, and her advice for women contemplating involved in open source
communities.
   Please introduce yourself.
     EK: My name is Elizabeth Krumbach, I've been using Linux since
2002. Currently I use Debian and Ubuntu on my systems, but have a great
deal of experience with Red Hat and Gentoo. I have worked with
Debian-Women [http://women.debian.org] and Ubuntu-Women
[http://ubuntu-women.org] in an effort to recruit more women into the
F/OSS community. I coordinate the Philadelphia area
[http://princessleia.com/phillychix/] Chapter of LinuxChix, the
Montgomery County Linux Users Group [http://montcolug.org] and am a
regular attendee at the Philadelphia Area Linux Users Group
[http://phillylinux.org]. I also write for O'Reilly's Linux Blog
[http://www.oreillynet.com/linux/blog/].
 When did you first become interested in technology or computers?
     EK: I've been interested in computers since the first PC came into
our house in 1991; I was 10 years old. This PC was an old IBM 8086 that
my uncle took out of his basement to give us. It was sort of a hobby of
mine while I went through middle school and into high school, I'd save
up money to buy computers to tinker with. But I never really got serious
about it (or even considered computers as a career) until I got online
when I was 17.
 Did you have any friends or family as role models or mentors at that
time?
     EK: No. The combination of being a quiet kid and not taking my
playing with computers seriously caused me never to encounter other
people who might share my interests. It didn't matter to me at the time
anyway.
 Have you ever felt discouraged by others or frustrated by technical
hobbies or interests?
     EK: Not directly, but there has been plenty of less direct
discouragement along the way, which I think can be more harmful.

     Perhaps my first negative experience I was when I was shopping for
the first new computer I was paying for on my own. The salesmen
consistently spoke down to me, but not to some male I happened to be
shopping with, one even tried to persuade me to buy a less powerful
computer because I "really don't need that much RAM"! I lost track of
how many times similar scenarios have happened since then, I still
prefer shopping online almost exclusively for this reason.

     The F/OSS community online has been the primary source of
discouragement though. Many of the F/OSS forums out there are
male-dominated, and women who get involved in this world are often not
treated equally. It might not be direct insults or insults at all, but I
know many women who have taken to using gender-neutral pseudonyms in
order to dodge snide comments and marriage proposals that inevitably get
directed their way when it's discovered they're a woman doing something
technical.

     To be fair, LinuxChix and Women groups within the F/OSS community
online have been the primary source of encouragement. And it really is a
small, vocal minority in most F/OSS communities that make things
uncomfortable, I've met plenty of fantastic people through F/OSS who
don't care at all what my gender is. My fiance is one of these people,
he's been fantastic.

     "Real Life" F/OSS gatherings can be tough at times too. For
example, I don't like going down to the city alone, so I call up a male
friend of mine who will drive me down to LUG meetings. When I first
started going I got the impression that if I don't speak up during
discussion with something smart and techie to say, or don't actively
detach myself from this male friend, it's often assumed that I'm "just
there as a girlfriend." Imagine having to prove yourself each time you
go out to such an event just to get an equal standing with your fellow
geeks: it's tiring.

     These examples might seem trivial, but it adds up. I've heard the
whole "just get over it and grow a thicker skin" speech a thousand
times, but why would I spend my free time volunteering in a community
where I don't feel comfortable? I don't feel we should have to change
ourselves by "growing a thicker skin" so we can offer help.

     In my case I did end up growing that thicker skin and toughing it
out, but I know several women who gave up on working with computers and
F/OSS entirely because they weren't willing to do this, I can
sympathize.

     How did you become more involved in F/OSS?  How have you
contributed to projects or communities?
     EK: It came pretty naturally to me. I started using Linux, I
started writing How-To articles on my own website when I figured new
things out, and then one day I joined the IRC channel for some F/OSS
software I was using. In that channel they were talking about needing
some documentation re-written, I volunteered and made my first official
contribution to a F/OSS project.

     Since then, I've written documentation for other projects, done
some Debian packaging, done some web development and wiki-based work for
projects, and helped out extensively with IRC-based support for several
F/OSS projects.
 What is the goal of LinuxChix?  What role do you play in the LinuxChix
organization?
     EK: The founder of LinuxChix, Deb Richardson, said she founded it
for two reasons:

    * She "thought it would be fun."
    * " To give women
      [http://www.linuxchix.org/content/docs/faqs/#id2851109] who use
      Linux a comfortable environment in which to discuss the OS they
      love; to create a community that encourages and helps new users;
      to make others realize that the vocal minority does not
      necessarily represent the Linux community in general."

     As for the goals, I believe LinuxChix has accomplished both these
founding reasons and now LinuxChix is really what you make it to be. For
me, finding the LinuxChix network of friendly, intelligent, and
supportive women who shared my interests was transformational. I felt
quite alone as a woman in F/OSS before I learned of LinuxChix, and
suddenly that wasn't the case anymore. In addition to friends, I found
mentors and people who I could look up to, and people who had shared
experiences of discouragement and frustration working and volunteering
in tech.

     Currently I'm the coordinator for the Philadelphia area LinuxChix
chapter.
 What are your goals going forward with LinuxChix and F/OSS?
     EK: In my chapter coordinator role for LinuxChix I've found my
goals to be generally more social. It's just fun to get together with
women who share my interests and to encourage other women who are
interested in getting into Linux and/or furthering their knowledge.

     As for F/OSS, I've been working with Ubuntu-Women these past few
months to get more women interested in contributing to Ubuntu. I really
hope that someday there won't be any sexism or "boys club" feel to get
over in order to get involved with F/OSS, and that anyone who can offer
help with anything will feel comfortable doing so and feel that their
contribution is valued.
 Do the computer hardware and software industries have issues due to
programmers/developers being mostly male while consumers are more gender
balanced?
     EK: I'm not sure I'd go this far. There is a tendency among less
developed software products to have a feel that's more geared toward
developers than users, but I wouldn't say this was a gender problem.

     I think some hardware manufacturers target certain things toward
young men though, I remember the first 3D accelerated graphics card I
got had a picture of a hot cartoony/digital woman with green hair on the
box, but this is more of a marketing issue.
 What advice do you have for girls interested in technology, computers,
F/oSS?
     EK: Hang in there, you're not alone.

     And always remember that you're doing this because you enjoy it. If
you encounter a community that is too hostile for you to contribute to
either speak up to the proper project authorities or walk away. As much
as I want to see more women contributing, I've found that it's better to
admit defeat in one project than to get burnt out and walk away from all
of it. There are projects out there that will value your contributions.

     You might also want to join LinuxChix, we're a great bunch and have
always been very supportive of each other.

     What advice do you have for communities such as KDE about female
participation and gender balance?
     EK: Reach out to women specifically. I believe that by recruiting
more women now we open ourselves to a future where women coming into
these communities will notice and feel comfortable with becoming
involved.

     And work to value all contributions to F/OSS equally. There are
more women working with Artwork, Translations and Documentation writing
than Programming and Software Packaging, but often these skills are
taken to not be "worth" as much. Although I don't believe people should
co