Advocates of open source know that "evangelism" doesn't have anything to do with threatening to throw you into a fiery pit of lava, sans gold rings or extra lives. Rather, "evangelism" is a FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) buzzword that has become synonymous with actively promoting the benefits of open vs. proprietary software, be it through hosting a workshop, authoring a particularly strident readme, or showing your friends just how wobbly your Compiz wobbly windows can be. But women, it seems, have been noticeably light on the ground when it comes to FOSS cheerleading. Until recently, that is.

Whether increasing numbers of women are moving into open source fields, or "women in open source" is just a movement whose time has come, the fact is that more girls are becoming active when it comes to talking tech. Online groups LinuxChix and DevChix give women interested in FOSS, computer science and programming a net-based place to discuss issues related to tech and feminism, while Girls in Tech offers up an interesting collection of blogs on everything from gender politics in the workplace to green business.

The conference scene reflects the trend, with women-focused tech conferences and meetups, like the Bay Area's Geek Girl Dinners, springing into existence at an amazing rate. Another California collective, Women 2.0, hosts developer nights and PR workshops, and strives to "be a catalyst for change, mobilizing a global community of ambitious women entrepreneurs seeking to advance the world through technology". And then there's She's Geeky, a biannual US gathering of female technology enthusiasts that is now in its third year. The burgeoning publicity and swelling attendance at these events speaks volumes.

Among many shining stars is Rikki Kite, associate publisher of Linux Pro Magazine, and long-time open source supporter. Rikki got her start in open source when she joined SysAdmin Magazine as an editor in 1999. Now, when she's not working or trekking the length and breadth of the FOSS conference circuit, she's writing for ROSE blog, which features (among other things) bios of women involved in open source projects. In this interview, Rikki weighs in on sexism, horn tooting, and gadgetry.

So, Rikki, your talk for this year's Atlanta Linux Fest is entitled “Her PR Problem: Tooting the Horns of Women in Open Source”. It looks awesome, and I don't want to spill all the beans here, but you know, maybe one bean. Give us a teeny preview if you could.

My talk is half motivational and half practical career advice. I suggest some steps people – men and women – can take to advance their own careers, including how to be more assertive and get noticed for your work, negotiate salaries, and network online and in person. I also recommend ways to help colleagues who might not be as assertive get recognized for their efforts. My talk is really written for both men and women, so I hope I have a nice mix of attendees.

What inspired you to talk on the subject?

My own personal experiences with what has held me back in my career – I was horrible at self-promotion, sucked at salary negotiation, was uncomfortable asserting myself, doubted my abilities, and so on. As I worked on these issues that were holding me back, I realized that a lot of other people have similar struggles.

The all-knowing Google swami tells me that this most definitely isn't the first time you've graced a FOSS-friendly stage. Have you noticed any changes in the way your lectures are received by what is usually a mostly male audience? Is there a different feeling in the air now than there was, say, three years ago? Or has your personal confidence and outlook changed?

I've only given this talk once before, at the 2009 Southern California Linux Expo (SCaLE), and it was a nice mix of men and women in the room. Prior to that, I spent years thinking about speaking in public and working up to it. Public speaking is something I've started doing to challenge myself. I don't think confidence is my issue, I'm just not a natural public speaker. My first experience was so eye-opening, though, because I had a room full of men and women who were there either because they were interested in my topic or because they wanted to be supportive. That's one big difference I've noticed in the Linux and open source culture in the past few years -- it used to be more competitive and I felt like people wanted to make you feel stupid, whereas now it's more like we're all players on the same team and most people want to be supportive.

ROSE blog, your nook of the net, highlights women working in the open source field. I had no idea so many kickass chicks were doing so much geeky stuff. What made you start the blog, and do you promote it at all?

I think a few women in our field tend to be pretty visible, and that's great because they are really inspiring women. But there are a lot of other women who are quietly plugging along doing cool things and not getting noticed at all. Maybe they are too busy doing cool things to toot their own horns, or maybe they aren't comfortable drawing attention to themselves, but I'm always fascinated to learn about these women and their different contributions, and I know other people what to hear about them, too.

For example, I recently heard from some librarians in Kansas who are rolling out an open source system in libraries near our offices. Maybe they weren't thinking of themselves as "women in open source” because they didn't write all the code, but they're actually out there on the front lines delivering open source solutions to entire communities. My blog helps me find these stories and share them. I hope it also helps people in open source connect, or maybe these stories can help people who aren't in open source see themselves becoming a part of it.

It seems like women's equality used to a be a collective movement, and now that movement has splintered into various fronts. Women and the right to do equal work for equal pay. Women and the right to watch, or at least be a viable market for, pornography. Women and the right to indulge in bash scripting with sticky, three-day-old Alphabits stuck in our collective hair. Why is “women in tech” a separate one of these fronts? Why don't we plop “tech” into the mountainous pile of other things that we can compete in and enjoy? Like, make our new tagline, “Women: Yeah, we're into that, too. Also that.”?

I don't think “women in tech” is necessarily separate, it's just one part of the bigger picture. As a woman who works in an tech career, I'd like to see more diversity in general. I'd like to see a stronger emphasis on technology in our school systems so that girls and boys from all socioeconomic backgrounds are prepared for in-demand jobs. We can't all be “into” technology if we don't all have access to it, and there are a lot of individuals and groups who are in danger of getting left behind.

As a nation, we've been talking about equality for around a century. I'd say we've been taking it seriously for maybe 50 years. The IT boys are quick learners, so do you think we're getting close to the point where the jerks are just jerks, and sexism, for the most part, is a non-issue in the tech workplace? Or do you think this is a larger social, or perhaps biological, problem, and therefore something tech girls will deal with for another 100 years?

Yes, sexism still exists, but I don't think the tech workplace has the market cornered on it. And yes, jerks are jerks, but they aren't all men, either. I've encountered women who've said horrible things about other women at industry events because the other women are too attractive or not attractive enough – is that sexist, or just jerky? Or what about the value people place on different roles in technology – should someone who writes code be considered more valuable than someone who makes the documentation coherent?

I think that when it comes to “sexism” or any other “isms,” we continue to make progress but there's still a long way to go. There are some amazing men and women working in technology, and I think collectively we can set the tone. No one person speaks for all of us, but I think the louder, more obnoxious people tend to get the most attention, even if it is negative. We can control that to a degree by making sure we consciously acknowledge good behavior publicly and make sure we aren't fostering an environment that encourages the bad behavior.

Recently there's been a small swell in technology and gadgets specifically marketed towards women, but it looks like whenever their design departments sit down for a planning session, there's a resounding chorus of “make it pink and sparkly!” and then they take a back-patting break. Watching advertisers fumble around with the concept brings back unpleasant high-school memories of bra hooks and long silences. Performance aside, what appeals to you personally in the design of a product, and what do you think makes technology attractive to women?

I bought a pink Blackberry recently, but I also made it a point to tell the salesperson that only having the choice between black or pink is lame – I wanted turquoise or mint green. Plaid would have been really amazing. I can't for the life of me figure out why pink is the go-to color, and I don't understand why anyone thinks that men only want black or gray. Don't get me wrong – I like pink and black, but surely we can be more creative than that.

Function comes first for me, but if it's something that goes everywhere I go, like my phone or iPod, I'd like it to be visually interesting, too. I don't think that's a woman-thing – guys also want cool-looking gadgets.

Other than “may the FOSS be with you” and “eyes up here, kthanks”, what advice can you give to our male counterparts in terms of how they can encourage women to be more involved in open source and IT?

I'd really like all of us to be more encouraging, particularly to people who could use the extra encouragement. I think instead of waiting for people to approach us and ask how they can get involved with open source, we have to be willing to reach out and ask people how we can help them get involved. Encourage your colleagues to do something new – volunteer at, attend, or speak at an event; write an article; join a networking group; and so on. Make sure that your colleagues who aren't good at self-promotion are getting acknowledged for their contributions. We are all part of a exciting, influential, revolutionary tech community, and we should celebrate that and help other people join in on the fun.