• Here we go again.

    Inevitably this discussion comes up. Inevitably the answer is that women just aren't fit for IT, because they're sweet, mothering types that can't hack the competitive industry or the hours or the work. It must be the nature of the work and the genetic/socialized nature of women.

    It couldn't possibly have anything to do with the culture or sexism or the fact that being the only woman working in large groups of men really has some distinct downsides, particularly if you're unfortunate enough to be young/pretty.

    I know. I've been doing it for my entire career.

    I'm really, really, really tired of constantly having this discussion, so I'll just post a link to a document that was developed by a group that's dedicated in encouraging more women in technology. This document was written with the feedback of many women that are currently in IT positions. Some are Linux kernel developers, many are authors, many are network and security professionals and DBAs, many do helpdesk. But most importantly, the words in the HOWTO reflect the experiences of *many* women, not just a few random bad encounters.

    HOWTO Encourage Women in Linux

    Bracing myself for the flames...