discuss: Review needed of 'Encourage Women in Linux' HOWTO
Subject:
Re: Review needed of 'Encourage Women in Linux' HOWTO
From:
Raymond ####@####.####
Date:
10 Dec 2003 03:09:50 -0000
Message-Id: <3FD68FFB.3000500@colba.net>
Val Henson wrote:
>On Tue, Dec 09, 2003 at 06:55:15PM -0500, Raymond wrote:
>
>
>>To this end I have volunteered on the editors list (mailto:
####@####.#### to review this document.
>>
>>
>
>Thank you, Raymond. I have read the "Linux Documentation Project
>Reviewer HOWTO" (good work, as usual, Joy) and found that the
>following three types of review exist:
>
I do not know why you are telling me something I already know. If
anybody wants to know this they
can find it on the LDP site before they decide to participate in a review.
Another thing. It is pretty hard to say what type of review this
document deserves by the few choices
given. A peer review has been done. The language review is not relevant.
And a technical review
does not seem relevant either--the document is mainly about sociological
gender issues that just
happen to be related to Linux. They could be related to any sphere of
activity. There does not seem to
be any direct technical issues involved. If there were another type of
review for 'context' that might
be the way to go. As it stands, it is hard to see how this document got
past peer review without
someone bringing up some point about the way it is written or its purpose.
>http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Encourage-Women-Linux-HOWTO/x28.html#AEN66
>
>Some of my personal qualifications to write about this subject can be
>found on my home page:
>
>http://www.nmt.edu/~val
>
>A quick summary of my qualifications:
> - Former full-time Linux developer
> - Active volunteer for LinuxChix
> - Member of Systers mailing list
> - Frequent attendee at women in computing conferences
> - Host of LinuxChix BoF at Ottawa Linux Symposium two years running
> - Well read in the area (as demonstrated by references in the HOWTO)
> - Member of the program committee of Sun's women in engineering group
>
>
You may have some experience to write from, but that does not mean that
you are unbiased.
All this you are writing here is coercion meant to sway people towards
your view instead of
letting them use their own power of reason to make fair assessments. So
please stop. In fact,
this is part of the reason I posted in the first place. It was clearly
obvious from your writing
that your view is skewed and that is exactly what is wrong. Don't give
me anymore of that
'I have to make sweeping generlizations as long as sexism exists'
justification. I'm not buying
it. Saying things like that is just propaganda. Exactly in the vain of
what is not needed in any
LDP document.
>
>
>>I suggest a even number of male/female reviewers that can work
>>amongst themselves and submit the results as a group to the LDP.
>>
>>
>
>I believe the motivation behind this suggestion is to provide a
>"gender-balanced" review committee. However, mere numerical equality
>will not produce the desired results. Three sexist men and three
>sexist women will still produce a sexist review (as will six sexist
>women and six sexist men - whoa, cool tongue-twister!).
>
>
It does not seem to matter how fair I try to be. You will find a way to
twist my words. Which
is exactly how you have twisted ideas in the document to fit your ends.
>I believe that the reviewers should be people who are qualified to
>review the HOWTO as described above, regardless of gender. I look
>forward to the review comments.
>
>-VAL
>
>
>
Who could possibly live up to what you would accept? How can anybody be
absolutely
sure someone is qualified to do a lot of things? You cannot. There are
no absolutes. There
is a little bit of uncertainty in everything. People still work writing
and reviewing documents
regardless of the need for absolute qualifications by some else's
measures alone. Isn't that
how you wrote the document in the first place? Who appointed you to
write it. You.
Who decided you had enough qualifications to write it. You did.
Well, fair is fair. If I want to start a review I am certainly free to
try. Do I have to write
a book before I can do a book review. No. High school students do it all
the time.
Now, again, please everyone let's just review this and make something
better of it.
And let's stop posting about this until there is some main point to make.
Thank you.
Contact me if you are interested in participating in this review.
Raymond: Martin
