discuss: Re: Encouraging Diversity in Linux
Subject:
Re: Encouraging Diversity in Linux
From:
David Horton ####@####.####
Date:
7 Dec 2003 21:57:01 -0000
Message-Id: <3FD3A2B6.5060701@megsinet.net>
Charles Curley wrote:
> On Sat, Dec 06, 2003 at 09:44:37PM -0600, David Horton wrote:
>
>>How about expanding the scope of the document and titling it
>>"Encouraging Diversity in Linux?" This would side-step the controversy
>>surrounding the current title, plus make the document more useful. Why
>>should we only seek to encourage people based on gender? What about
>>age, race, national origin? These are important factors as well.
>
>
> David, I don't think the controversy is over the title, but over the
> content. Indeed, given the content, the title is at least accurate.
>
True, it is not just the title that has caused such a fury of discussion.
> I would prefer to drop anything that smacks of political
> correctness. The term "diversity" has been captured and perverted by
> the PC types to mean "including only groups of which we approve".
>
I chose the word "diversity" because I personally thought it was rather
neutral, but if there is a less loaded word to use I'm all for it.
> If you doubt this, try the following experiment: send an appropriate
> volunteer into a local diversity officer and have him say, "I'm a
> white male gun totin' beer swilling couch potato redneck. Got a
> diversity program for me?"
>
I don't think anyone would be against the guy because he owns a gun,
enjoys the occasional beer or has a lack of pigment to protect his neck
from the sun's harmful UV rays. I have many of these characteristics
and I see myself as a pretty decent guy.
> This is not to argue against a paper to facilitate groups and
> individuals who wish to encourage other people to use Linux. Rather, I
> think embracing political correctness (or even merely appearing to do
> so) would be counter-productive. Linux has done quite well on its
> technical and legal merits (the GPL, e.g.), and I think it will
> succeed better on those technical and legal merits than on any real or
> apparent political correctness.
>
Forget about P.C., I think this document is more of a "HOWTO not stick
your foot in your mouth when you talk and act" kind of thing. Diversity
is good because it brings more ideas to the table. People will have
difficulty achiving diversity when they fail to take other people's
culture and values into consideration.
> In any case, Linux itself is far and away the best diversity program
> around (pun intended). Because of the GPL, if one finds oneself
> excluded from Linux, one is free to adapt it to one's own
> requirements. You don't have to wait for some vendor to get around to
> it or decide that it might be profitable. Case in point, the recent
> work in India to include a number of Indian languages and character
> sets. I'm curious to see the Cherokee character set on Linux. :-)
I agree. Linux is head and shoulders above the commercial stuff.
>
> The LDP itself is a Linux diversity program in that it makes some of
> the "arcane lore" of Linux much more accessible. Courtesy of the LDP,
> you don't have to be a guru to administer a Linux environment.
>
> Microsoft has shown itself adept at meeting the PC definition of
> diversity quite well. They have special software for the visually
> impaired, etc. (as does Linux). But they flubbed marketing to at least
> one non PC-approved group. What do you think they called Windows 2000
> in Saudi Arabia? Windows 1421?
>
I think it's called "The Blue Screen Special" pretty much world wide.
Dave
