[Fwd: hggdh2 deactivated by matthew.revell]

[Scott]

Caroline Ford wrote:
> On 23/02/2008, Sarah Hobbs <hobbsee at ubuntu.com> wrote:
>> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
>>  Hash: SHA1
>>
>>
>> Efrain wrote:
>>  Would you have had troubles
>>  >> collaborating with me just because I was pochu?
>>
>>  > Yes.
>>
>>
>> Personally, I prefer to judge people on what they do, rather than on the
>>  name they choose to use.  By all means, if it makes you happier,
>>  continue to use two words to judge people.
>>
>>
>>  >> I don't think you should,
>>
>>  > but it´s my choice.
>>
>>
>> And it's our choice to judge you, based on how you judge people.
>>
>>
>>  > I am not promoting a policy, I am just saying. I do not trust people that
>>  > simply don´t care enough to share names.
>>
>>
>> And I don't care about people who refuse to believe that people have
>>  real reasons for not using their real names, and who rate their right to
>>  feel comfortable about the way people name themselves, above the other
>>  people's rights to not be harrassed, or to otherwise keep their privacy.
>>
>>  If you want to force me, by policy, to be harrassed, too bad.  I'm not
>>  interested.  The door is that way.  *points*
>>
>>  The more harassment I get from ubuntu, and launchpad, the more personal
>>  information I remove from it.  I don't  like being harassed, and I don't
>>  like people deciding it's OK for me, and others to be harassed, so they
>>  can feel more safe and confident.  If i end up then going and violating
>>  policies for teams that i'm a member of, then I'll just have to leave
>>  those teams.  It's not worth being harassed, just to be on a team.
>>
>>  Yes, this is something I feel very strongly about, hence the harsh mail.
>>
>>  Hobbsee
>>  (who, up until mid-last year, was going by nickname only, even while
>>  being a MOTU, and being a part of the beta testers team)
> 
> There is nothing I can add to this. Using real names means that I have
> to out myself as female. This means I get shit I wouldn't otherwise
> get.

While women tend to "get shit" in this fashion much more than men. It 
does work both ways.

> 
> I would also leave if life became uncomfortable. No-one is going to
> martyr themselves.. There are plenty of other projects to contribute
> to.

I've been hesitant to contribute more to the FLOSS community *because* 
of the name situation.

I was badly burned years ago when I foolishly splattered my full real 
name all over teh Internets.

After being harassed years ago online for months (stalked if you will) 
by both a man *and* a woman (unrelated incidents) I wised up and 
abandoned use of my real name online (save for spending money, of course).

My only regret now is that I chose a nickname rather than an "ordinary" 
pseudonym as it would make any (potentially necessary) transition to 
another pseudonym difficult.

But even so, if I'd decided to call myself "Scott Stephen Stillwater" 
instead of "angrykeyboarder" it wouldn't be "real" either (but of course 
it would be far less obvious that in this case).

So then, what happens if you end up at a developer summit or user 
meeting and have to use your real name (for hotels perhaps)?

And then there's the GPG issue.  There apparently is no acceptable way 
to get your key signed other than to lay eyes upon the person who will 
be signing it and presenting your government-issued ID to said person.

So much for pseudonyms...

Back to harassment...

Besides that, there are other good reasons not to use your real name 
online as well.

Let's say I apply for a job next week. Do I want potential/future 
employers reading though a discussion I was in that developed into a 
flamewar?

Or do I want them seeing my "party pictures" on flickr?

I think not.

But I digress...

Under ordinary online circumstances using a pseudonym is not something 
you really have to think much about. I just do it.  But when it comes to 
something like the FLOSS community (be it Ubuntu, Fedora, FreeBSD, 
Mandriva or Mozilla) then where does that leave you?

Aah the quandary of it all...


-- 
             Scott
https://launchpad.net/~angrykeyboarder   http://angrykeyboarder.com
I've never used an OS I didn't (dis)like.
I'm angrykeyboarder™ and I approved this message.