Sarah Sharp Steps Down As Linux Kernel Developer

[rtfazeberdee]

""Misogynist" is a pretty hefty charge, I don't think it's right to levy that charge without proof or logic to support it. I doubt there are any, or god forbid many, actual haters of women on this forum."
seems like you haven't read any of the comments on this forum where she gets dismissed as a SJW, whiner etc. these posters are suffering the same lack of social skills that the community seems to suffer. Being assertive is not the same as being a verbally aggressive asshat as some people seem to think it is

[Trevelyan]

IMHO: Linux walks a tight line, but has yet to cross it. Calling some code or design a piece of sh!t is not the same as calling its author a PoS.

Good developers can create terrible stuff and Bad developers can create wonderful stuff.

I've read a lot of Linux's rants and his harsh language is always directed at the work and not the person. Sometimes he uses allegories or metaphors to describe what sort of being might have created such terrible work, and this for me is where he starts skirting a fine line. Very occasionally his rant is directed directly towards a person (and no nvidia is not a person), but that person is usually someone who already has a relationship with Linus and the words are not so harsh, as what he's usually capable of.

Linus seems to be perfecting rants as an art form, and the problem seems to be those that copy him. They often lack Linus' tact and usually cross the line, which results in inappropriate behaviour. So in this regards Linux might want to think about the example he is setting, and realise that not everyone is as accomplished as he is.

I don't subscribe however to banning harsh language. That is like banning a tool (say a hammer) because it can be used to kill people. Tools can be used to hurt people and tools can be used to help people.

Believe it or not different people respond differently to different forms of communication. Just because one form of communication seems exclusionary to you, does not mean that others would not thing the same of you proposed form of communication. If your argument is that you don't care for those other people, then you're now on the other side of your own initial complaint.

There is no such thing as 'all inclusive', our existence is far too subjective. That does not mean that we should try to be considerate to others and attempt to make people feel welcome. However there are limits and where those limits lay is very subjective and usually decided by the 'mob'.

I remember attending a conference, that was to have a talk about certain aspects of social interaction in 'geek' communities. The talk was cancelled at the last minute because some worried that the talk would contain "trigger" words. (Words that trigger negative memories, such as of rape). So because of the sensitivities of the few, the rest of us were not even allowed to discuss the subject. [sarcasm] A very healthy end result [/sarcasm]

[molecule-eye]

A lot of hilarious and SAD comments being posted here. I'm happy she's left and made it clear why she's left. People should know when a community as important as kernel development is a shitty place to work in for clear minorities like women.

[hrkristian]

It's an open and free project, and people should be allowed to act the way they wish to act within the confines of whatever law they adhere to.

Linux has stood the test of time and competition for decades now, no matter how the environment might be at times it's wholly unfair to treat it like some kind of Titanic heading towards an iceberg of acidic bile. That's not what's happening at all.

Making this about men and women, and shouting shit like "misogyny" is just disgusting, this has nothing to do with gender, women can be just as vile as men, at least the guys getting flak now (again) are exceptional contributors to one of the world's most important software projects around.
Let them work the way they work best, Linus tolerates a lot of shit but he would never tolerate incompetence or acts detrimental to the project.

[jb.1234abcd]

I think Ms. Sharp's decision and the blog post clearly show that she confused
her kernel contributor's activity (during which she was once or twice
"reprimanded" for not complying with the way of cooperation that ensures
quality of code in the kernel) with her feminist activity (during which she
acted to increase women's participation in FOS and to change
the "male-dominated culture" of it).

She finally recognized the reality of kernel development reflected in
*naturally* organized and expressive "male-dominated culture".
This is how it works, and even those *prominent* kernel contributors who
experienced their share of "reprimands" in the past admit that it was mostly
justified and required to keep the project intact and moving ahead.

The nature has shown its power in arbitrating human affairs.

But I have seen a comment elsewhere on this case like that:
"I'm just surprised that more of the companies that are employees of the main
developers haven't stepped up and tried to fix this, if for no other reason than
protecting their own backsides from legal action."

That kind of suggestion shows a lack of imagination about the implications of it.

This is talking about free and open software development project, with informal
and distributed participation across every imaginable boundary.

In general, there have already been calls against too much of corporate
influence on the direction of kernel project (that's why GNU Hurd kernel has
shown increased activity recently), but also other projects as well (GNOME,
which lost around 50% of its users to other DEs after introduction of version 3
of its product; systemd which is confronted with 50% rejection rate in
a statistically random Linux users poll after 5 years since its introduction
into Linux ecosystem; etc).

Let's hope that Ms. Sharp and others understand the above dynamics and do not
draw false conclusions on how to rectify "nature's injustice".

jb

[Truth]

There isn't a single man working on the Mach Kernel at NeXT and later, the Mach->XNU Kernel at Apple that wouldn't have been out on his ass talking smack to either his male or female colleagues. Making excuses for grown men acting like juvenile pricks speaks volumes to your willingness to pacify uncivil discourse to get your free operating system.

Linus himself is a complete prick that in any other walk of life would have gotten the crap pounded out of routinely with the way he addresses either gender on that developer list.

And yet you continue to make use of and benefit from that complete prick's work while you bluster here impotently, sucks to be you.

Anyone in favour of a "Code of Conduct" should be vivisectioned immediately for the good of the human race.

The Truth has been spoken.

[nils_]

Good grief, there are some really small minded misogynists who are really threatened by smart women in these forums.

I don't quite see the "threat" if the women quit because they don't like the confrontation or because they don't get special treatment.

[yogi_berra]

Yeah, she stepped down over a year ago. You're hearing about it now because it was a good time for the drama.

Oh and fart fart fart [sic]

[Marc Driftmeyer]

Linux created Linux and its runs everything in the world, I don't think anyone should criticise him.
He have done a fantastic work and continues to do so!
How would Linux be if didn't put his foot down and and just let any patch get accepted?
The Linux kernel is his life, he have worked on it for over 20 years, he don't want it it polluted with junk code.

Programmers are geeks, and kernel programming is unlike other programming, these people are alpha-geeks.
They care about code, logic and patterns. Many of em do not posses good social skills.
It is important that they can stay in a environment where they are accepted and you can look past their blunders so they can do what they do good — develope.
Do not impose all these codes of conduct on these misfits, it will just chase them away and you will be left with people pleasing, suit-wearing, neck-tie wearing, clean cut, cologne wearing, haircombed developers who don't know anything about programming.

There isn't a single man working on the Mach Kernel at NeXT and later, the Mach->XNU Kernel at Apple that wouldn't have been out on his ass talking smack to either his male or female colleagues. Making excuses for grown men acting like juvenile pricks speaks volumes to your willingness to pacify uncivil discourse to get your free operating system.

Linus himself is a complete prick that in any other walk of life would have gotten the crap pounded out of routinely with the way he addresses either gender on that developer list.

[pal666]

i'm pretty sure intel will easily find another drama queen to maintain their usb stack