LinuxChix facts for kids

LinuxChix is a friendly online group for women who use Linux. Linux is a type of computer operating system, like Windows or macOS, but it's often free and open for anyone to use and change.

This community was started to help women who use Linux. It gives them a place to get technical help and meet other people who share their interests. Even though it's mainly for women, men are also welcome to join and help out. People in the group are called "a Linux chick" (for one person) or "LinuxChix" (for many people), no matter their gender.

How LinuxChix Started

LinuxChix began in 1999. It was created by a woman named Deb Richardson. She worked with open-source software and wanted to make a different kind of community.

Deb wanted a place that was more welcoming than some other computer groups at the time. She set two main rules for LinuxChix: "be polite and be helpful."

The group first started as an electronic mailing list called grrltalk. This was like an email group where members could send messages to everyone. As more people joined, new mailing lists were added. These included techtalk for technical questions and issues for talking about topics important to women. LinuxChix became more well-known after articles about it were published online by ZDNet and Slashdot.

How the Group is Organized

Deb Richardson managed LinuxChix until 2001. Then, she passed the leadership to Jenn Vesperman, a programmer from Australia. Jenn led the group by letting many volunteers help out. These volunteers managed the email lists and kept the website running.

During Jenn's time as leader, the number of email lists grew a lot.

• The newchix list was made for people who were new to Linux.
• The courses list was for members to teach each other different topics.
• The grrls-only list was created in 2002 by Val Henson. This was the only list that only women could join.

Around the same time, a chat server called IRC was also set up for LinuxChix.

The name LinuxChix usually means the main group with its official website, email lists, and chat channels. However, there are also many local groups around the world that use the name. These local groups work on their own.

In 2007, Jenn Vesperman decided to step down as coordinator. Mary Gardiner took over briefly, but then three lead volunteers were elected. They are known as the "Tres Chix." In August 2007, Sulamita Garcia, Akkana Peck, and Carla Schroder were chosen for these roles.

Local Groups Around the World

LinuxChix has more than 15 local groups, called chapters, all over the world. These chapters help bring members together in different regions.

For example, a chapter was started in Africa in 2004. In March 2007, on International Women's Day, the two LinuxChix chapters in Australia joined together. They formed one big national chapter called "AussieChix." A chapter for New Zealand was also set up in February 2007.

Events and Activities

Some local LinuxChix chapters have regular meetings. Other groups meet up for special events. These might include visits from members who live far away or meetings held during big computer conferences.

In 2007, members of the Sydney chapter helped organize a special LinuxChix mini-conference. This event was part of a larger computer conference called linux.conf.au at the University of New South Wales. LinuxChix also holds events for other special days. For instance, in 2005, LinuxChix Africa organized an event to celebrate Software Freedom Day at Wits University.

LinuxChix Labs

The LinuxChix chapter in India, also known as IndiChix, started an exciting project. They set up Linux labs in several cities across India. These labs are special places with computers and internet access. They give women a safe and helpful space to learn more about Linux. Women can also work together on projects that help the free and open-source software community. Labs have been opened in cities like Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, and Pune.

See also

In Spanish: LinuxChix para niños

• Ada Initiative
• National Center for Women & Information Technology
• Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology
• Girl Geek Dinners