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GitHub donates private repositories to women learning open source software

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Re: GitHub donates private repositories to women learning open source software

#111

Post by pifflesnort »

marquis wrote: post #101
pifflesnort wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Are you saying that 90% of the female population has no balls? No. The major hurdles to becoming a programmer are crossed long before it becomes time to put code in a github repository. > Or is it more likely that due the systemic method of education, girls don't get interested in programming because by the time they are taught it, the boys are in the computer lab making a ruckus and they'd rather go socialize else…

> the only people in there were super-nerds playing video games for hours I know! It was really annoying. I just wanted to get stuck into computerized maths, CAD and plotting when I was 14 but it was uncomfortable being the only girl in the lab during lunch hours. If there had been another boy or girl I respected as a friend there I might have joined in, not to be sociable but just knowing there was someone else ther…

Compared to advancing your knowledge of programming, CAD, et al, it's a lot easier to bolster your ego and social standing with video games, so that's what those kids do.

I think the solution (for schools, anyway) would be adult-led structured activities where intelligence and hard work are rewarded: electronics/robotics/programming clubs, with long-term group projects where people with varied levels of experience can be accommodated.

I'd naively like to believe that gender can be left out of it, other than making a structured effort to recruit students irrespective of gender.

Re: GitHub donates private repositories to women learning open source software

#112

Post by steveklabnik »

bdg wrote: post #49
Voidkom wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Females as a noun is used to refer to lower animals, I believe you mean women.

Source? Right now that's just reading like a baseless claim and it sounds ridiculous to me that "females" is derogatory. I've never heard of such a claim before in my entire life.

There are two reasons why "female" is problematic:

1. It refers to sex, not gender. I know many women who do not possess a vagina. 2. It sounds very clinical and sterile. It's appropriate for, say, a scientific survey, but not for addressing other humans with the respect they deserve.

I don't refer to 'men' as 'males,' either.

Re: GitHub donates private repositories to women learning open source software

#113

Post by juridatenshi »

eridius wrote: post #54
anoncow wrote: post #29

How do female programmers differ from male programmers? I find this offensive. There are better ways to help promote programming among women. Equal salaries for starters could be a real equaliser.

Yes, I too am offended that an organization would dare donate anything to the Ada Initiative. Since we obviously live in a post-sexist egalitarian society, any sort of donation to one organization is clearly discriminatory against those not part of or benefitting from the organization! I'm pretty damn sure GitHub can't affect the salaries of women that aren't direct employees of them. In what way does GitHub doing wh…

Agreed with you about the donations. Tangentially, it would be cool if GitHub had more diversity in their software engineering staff - that is something they have control over.

Re: GitHub donates private repositories to women learning open source software

#114

Post by jmj42 »

raganwald wrote: post #107
jmj42 wrote: post #79

You know this makes me sick. Time and time again, articles pop up here on HN talking about some organization trying to promote and encourage women in technology and the comments explode with privileged boys whining about about how "it's not fair" You know what's not fair? A Teacher telling a 12 year old girl that she needs a backup plan because girls getting an engineering degree, well, that's hard. Getting one from…

Lewis's Law: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Lewis_(journalist)#Lewis....

Perhaps that's true (anecdotally, it does seem to be), yet, I've reached a point that I just can't stand by anymore. I've refrained from commenting on past articles that fall into the same line of reasoning we see here, but, I guess, I've reached a breaking point.

We, as men, must stand up and start knocking the entitlement out of those who refuse to recognize their privilege.

Re: GitHub donates private repositories to women learning open source software

#115

Post by reinhardt »

jcoder wrote: post #10

I can't believe the whining comments here so far. GitHub can contribute to any organization it wants to.

True. At the same time if GitHub (or anyone else) dared contribute to an organization promoting, say, men's right's, you'd never hear the end of it.

Re: GitHub donates private repositories to women learning open source software

#116

Post by chrisro »

marquis wrote: post #89
pifflesnort wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To quote another story on the front page: ... that’s what happens when we hold events for women in IT when there aren’t that many women in this industry – we tend to broaden the definition of women in IT. The software industry exists to write software, and ideally it's good software. We're not here to engender happy feelings about bad code. If you're worried about immature people non-constructively mocking your code,…

There are an estimated 9-12% women in the field of programming. Are you saying that 90% of the female population has no balls? Or is it more likely that due the systemic method of education, girls don't get interested in programming because by the time they are taught it, the boys are in the computer lab making a ruckus and they'd rather go socialize elsewhere. I speak with teachers at primary schools who get girls a…

This is terribly off-topic, but you don't have any contact info in your profile. Are you going to AdaCamp in June, by chance? If you are, please email me (it's in my profile), because I'm going and I've love to get to know other attendees. If you're not, you should apply if it's reasonable for you to attend (it's in San Francisco). The application period ends on April 30th. http://sf.adacamp.org/apply/

Re: GitHub donates private repositories to women learning open source software

#117

Post by marquis »

pifflesnort wrote: post #111
marquis wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the only people in there were super-nerds playing video games for hours I know! It was really annoying. I just wanted to get stuck into computerized maths, CAD and plotting when I was 14 but it was uncomfortable being the only girl in the lab during lunch hours. If there had been another boy or girl I respected as a friend there I might have joined in, not to be sociable but just knowing there was someone else ther…

Compared to advancing your knowledge of programming, CAD, et al, it's a lot easier to bolster your ego and social standing with video games, so that's what those kids do. I think the solution (for schools, anyway) would be adult-led structured activities where intelligence and hard work are rewarded: electronics/robotics/programming clubs, with long-term group projects where people with varied levels of experience ca…

>bolster your ego and social standing with video games

I had never had it explained to me like that - maybe girls and boys separate themselves so much as teenagers there's just a huge amount of information we don't have. If I was back at school and I knew that I would have had no problem hanging out in the computer lab, knowing that what was going on was a male-growing-up thing and outside of my participation.

I believe that we can have gender-neutral education. Sports is good at it but women and minorities fought hard in the 20th century for equal right to the field. Something to think about.

Re: GitHub donates private repositories to women learning open source software

#118

Post by marquis »

jmj42 wrote: post #79

You know this makes me sick. Time and time again, articles pop up here on HN talking about some organization trying to promote and encourage women in technology and the comments explode with privileged boys whining about about how "it's not fair" You know what's not fair? A Teacher telling a 12 year old girl that she needs a backup plan because girls getting an engineering degree, well, that's hard. Getting one from…

For your girl: http://goldieblox.com.

The backstory: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/16029337/goldieblox-the-...

Re: GitHub donates private repositories to women learning open source software

#119

Post by marquis »

sneak wrote: post #106
jmj42 wrote: post #79

You know this makes me sick. Time and time again, articles pop up here on HN talking about some organization trying to promote and encourage women in technology and the comments explode with privileged boys whining about about how "it's not fair" You know what's not fair? A Teacher telling a 12 year old girl that she needs a backup plan because girls getting an engineering degree, well, that's hard. Getting one from…

Please don't conflate people being ignorant of their privilege with legitimate criticism of The Ada Initiative. The Ada Initiative is a destructive and notorious concern-troll organization that is reviled by many feminists of both genders. They hurt all real initiatives for resolving inequality and bias in technology. Supporting them is destructive.

Can you back this statement up please? I'm interested to hear where these comments originate.

Re: GitHub donates private repositories to women learning open source software

#120

Post by marquis »

redidas wrote: post #96
dsyph3r wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you're missing the point.

I think github's missing the point. To encourage a group to do open source we provide them with private repositories? I get how this group may feel hesitant to post something in the open source world, but so was I, and I'm a guy. Here's an analogy that maybe fits: Consider you meet someone that's afraid of flying. Do you say "come with me, I'll show you its safe" or do you say "here's a bunch of train and bus passes"

>come with me, I'll show you its safe

That's exactly what's happening. Plus they are paying for the tickets.

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