Open Source Should Be Open To All

ROSE Blog: Rikki's Open Source Exchange

Ohio LinuxFest's Beth Lynn Eicher and Esther (Moose) Filderman sent me this article about increasing diversity in open source, and I'm so thankful they did. This year will be my first Ohio LinuxFest, and I'm delighted that I'll be speaking at the Diversity workshop. Although my talk covers how women can do a better job of promoting themselves, my talk really applies to anyone in open source who sees that their efforts – or efforts of colleagues and friends – get overlooked.

Lately I've noticed an increase in divisiveness and exclusion in some areas of open source, even among women in our field. But at the same time, I see people – including Beth Lynn, Moose, and the other Ohio LinuxFest organizers and volunteers – reaching out to make open source more inclusive, diverse, welcoming, and friendly, and for that I'm incredibly grateful.

If you want to support an event that feels inclusive and is really open to everyone interested in open source, check out Ohio LinuxFest September 25-27. You can register online at: https://www.ohiolinux.org/register

Open Source Should Be Open To All

By Beth Lynn Eicher and Moose

Let's talk about elitism.

Specifically, let's talk about operating system elitism. How many of you only run Linux and push everyone you meet to do the same?

That's elitism. Elitism causes people to think they're better than others, and causes others to feel belittled.

You don't convince someone that your way is right by telling them they're wrong or stupid. You show them what a difference can be made.

Not everyone who uses a vendor-OS is doing so because they like it. Sometimes you're stuck with software for your job. And even if they do like their vendor-OS, people are resistant to change.

Often the way is baby steps. If today you can convince someone to use some Open-Source software package – a document creator, a presentation tool, a web browser, or even a web server – you give yourself the wedge to start pushing for an Open Source operating system.

Teach the users to learn to love open source by introducing the software, application by application, and they will come to see the light. When you can show a business how much they can save with Open Source, you've made a friend. But when you've shown a single person the difference Open Source can make in his or her life, you've made an ally.

End the elitism. The vendors who refuse to release open source software are the enemy, not the users. Don't shun users of vendor-OSes. Don't sneer at them, don't talk down to them. Instead, learn what they need, and show them how OSS can help fill that need.

Let's talk about BSD.

It is counter-productive to argue that Linux is better than BSD. BSD is not the enemy of Linux. Elitism is the enemy of Linux.

The BSD people are fighting for the same thing as the Linux communities. BSD is the ally of Linux. When it comes down to it, Linux and BSD users like the same software. The communities should be working together for their shared cause – Free and Open computing for all.

Everyone has their preferences. Everyone prefers a flavor of ice cream. It doesn't matter what the flavor is, it's still ice cream. You don't reject your friend because he prefers a flavor you can't stand.

Instead look at FreeBSD, NetBSD, and OpenBSD as distributions with different goals.

Let the BSD vs. Linux wars end. Let's see both sides supporting and helping each for the common goal.

Let's talk about people.

A frequent subject these days is the lack of certain people within OSS projects. Typically this is about women, who are often disenfranchised in the Open Source communities. While no intent to minimize this is being made, they're not the only people who get lost in the OSS world.

The problem of the lack of minorities in computing as a whole reaches into the OSS world. While you can't tell someone's ethnicity from a mailing list or IRC channel, what about conferences, user groups, hackathons and other in-person events. Would you want to go to one of these events if you knew nobody else who looks like you will be there?

Disabilities is a tricky problem. Are your websites and source code lockers usable by the visually impaired? Is your LUG meeting in a place that's wheelchair accessible? Could you find an ASL interpreter if needed? Often the answers to this question is, "But nobody ever asked us for this stuff!" If you want disabled people to be in your community you need to make it clear they are welcome.

Elitism causes people not to think of others. It makes the assumption that because YOU are comfortable with the way things are so is everyone else. Elitism is the reason why many women are told, "You can't understand this." But for women you can substitute lots of other people – minorities, the disabled, and, yes, vendor-OS users, among them.

Let's talk about Open Source.

Let's end the Elitism. It hurts feelings. It hurts the OSS cause. It slows things down. Every time you sneer at someone who isn't a Linux user you are losing the chance to convince them to come to Open Source. Every time you don't help others get involved you are losing the opportunity to have a valuable contributor. Let's let Open Source truly be Open.

Beth Lynn Eicher is a professional system administrator and is the co-Chair of this year's Ohio LinuxFest. She runs around the country espousing the joys of Linux and other Open Source fun.

Moose is a disabled unemployed system administrator who is the Speakers Chair and the Diversity in Open Source Workshop coordinator for this year's Ohio LinuxFest. When not playing conference organizer Moose goes to OSS conferences to Preach the Word of OpenAFS.

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