Women have their own cigarettes, razors and deodorant. But do they really need their own operating system?
One of the most hotly debated topics on the LinuxChix site this month is whether there should be a Linux distribution for women.
And if so, what should it include?
Kirrily Robert sparked the debate in a posting from Melbourne, Australia, saying that someone suggested to her that it would be interesting to create a Linux distribution aimed at women.
"I know that making it pink would be a *bad* move," she wrote. But then she asked the LinuxChix what they'd like to see.
One said she'd like the distribution include an office suite and puzzle-type games -- some Linux packages already include those -- plus better how-to books and a project leader who's a woman
Another LinuxChix poster, a student, said she was doing research on the different ways boys and girls interact with computers. She said a girl's performance can be enhanced by certain user interfaces, though her research is far from complete.
Not a good idea
However, many LinuxChix posters skewered the suggestion of a women-geared distribution.
"I don't think this is necessarily a good idea at all," wrote Laurel Fan. "I think the group 'women who use Linux' is more similar to 'men who use Linux' than to most other women (or men, for that matter)."
And many worried that men would criticize a women-oriented distribution.
"I don't think that it is a good idea to have a separate distribution," wrote Emily Ratliff, adding that there are already too many. "And I would hate to open up another avenue to criticize women who love computers, i.e. 'They are too stupid to use the real thing'. "
Speaking in an interview with ZDNN, Deb Richardson, founder of LinuxChix, said she agreed with the naysayers. "I think it would be a bad idea," she said. "Why should women require a different distribution? If there's a women-specific distribution, men will look down on it."
Some said they would look down on it, too. "I wouldn't be caught dead running a 'female' distribution because the guys would mock me," another poster, Terri Oda, wrote.
