UbuntuWomen

UbuntuWomen is a group functioning under Ubuntu to provide a platform and encouragement for women to contribute to Ubuntu-Linux, a free and open-source GNU/Linux software. It aims to create a space for Ubuntu-Women under the aegis of Ubuntu-devel to finally blend within mainstream. Membership is open to ALL.

Current status of Women developers in Ubuntu

* Very few women are directly involved in Ubuntu programming/coding and development of applications.

* Mostly they contribute in translation and documentation teams and these efforts are highly valued and much needed.

Whilst Ubuntu is a Debian-based distro, it has evolved independently and carved its *own* identity in a very short time. Under an independent UbuntuWomen group, prospective women developers and those with other skills can carve a niche for themselves while drawing on the resources of the larger co-operative resource. Such groups already exist in some FLOSS communities like Apache, Debian and Gnome which mostly work toward recruiting and encouraging women in open source and development.

What will a seperate Women's group accomplish ?

* Create a pool of women developers who can write code and help develop software for Ubuntu.

* Busy upstream developers or package owners may not have time or inclination to mentor women newbies. UbuntuWomen members can liason/redirect them to the appropriate person to be contacted.

* It will help women newcomers discuss application development, testing, and bug triaging via mailing lists and redirect them, answer questions, provide information when required.

* Programming is highly development-oriented and the vagaries of each distro in FLOSS makes it even more difficult in terms of identifying a problem in "X" application, and knowing how to 'fix' it.

* Sometimes you may know or have a vague idea of the packages (the dependency hell, ...) but are still unsure which source files can be modified or how it may affect other applications.

* The code of conduct already being followed at Ubuntu will make it easier for interested women to join and not fear of being flamed or ridiculed for asking so-called silly questions.

Goals of Ubuntu-Women !

* Its main role will be along the lines of supplementing and being the stepping stone toward the larger Ubuntu and FLOSS world.

* Create an atmosphere for women to communicate openly and share their Ubuntu experiences, problems and how they overcame those to achieve their goals.

* Encourage women to participate and learn to create new FLOSS software (or revamp existing ones) and not just restrict their skills to using GNU/Linux software.

* Transcend the technical barrier which will empower women to create new software and think out-of-the-box.

What Ubuntu-Women is not !

* UbuntuWomen is not about segregation, rather its goal would be to integrate women as equals within the mainstream development of UbuntuLinux. Remember, membership is open to men too.

Contributing @ Ubuntu - where?

UbuntuLinux has a wide range of opportunities to choose from :

UbuntuRosetta (translation): https://wiki.ubuntu.com/RosettaFAQ

UbuntuBugs: https://bugzilla.ubuntu.com/

UbuntuPlanet (blogs): http://planet.ubuntu.com/

UbuntuLaunchpad: https://launchpad.ubuntu.com/

UbuntuForums: http://ubuntuforums.org/

Ubuntu-motu is an IRC channel for those interested in maintaining packages, testing or any other software development task. Subscribe to the Ubuntu-motu mailing-list here : <http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-motu>

External Resources

Debian Women: http://women.alioth.debian.org

LinuxChix: http://www.linuxchix.org

WomenInUbuntu BOF notes from Ubuntu Mataro [Conference]

Faqs: http://www.faqs.org/docs/Linux-HOWTO/Encourage-Women-Linux-HOWTO.html

CategoryUbuntuTeams ["CategoryMOTU"]

["CategoryMOTU"]