Miriam Ruiz

How long have you been using Debian?

For some years now: I started using Potato. It has only become my main system for the last year and a half or so, anyway.

Are you a Debian Developer?

No, not yet, but I maintain some packages for Debian. I'd like to enter NM process as soon as I can.

What areas of Debian are you involved in?

Mainly packaging, writing some documentation and translating a few things. I'm also quite involved in teaching other people how to package things for Debian and trying to get more girls into the Free Software World.

What got you interested in working with Debian?

It's not the first time I have given a bit of my time to a Free Software Project, but I've never been as involved in one as I am in Debian. What I value the most is the freeness of the project as well as the community around it. I think that the most important part of Debian is its social side, both in its development and in its goals.

Do you have any tips for women interested in getting more involved with Debian?

First of all, enjoy what you do, or do things you enjoy. Second, don't let anyone scare you, Debian is a big community in which most of the people are very nice and kind, even though there might be some trolls around sometime. You'll have to learn a lot and go through a bunch of documents, so be patient, Rome wasn't built in a day. If you ever have doubts, just ask. Finally, if your English is not so good, try to improve it as much as you can. At the moment English is the main language in which Debian is developed.

Are you involved with any other women in technology group? Which one(s)?

Yes, I've joined some other groups like LinuxChix, Systers or ChicasLinux, and I'm very involved in a new group we're creating called Alixa.

A bit more about you...

I'm a Spanish girl who's always, since I was very little, has been interested in computers and technology. I also like reading a lot, my favourite books are "Momo" by Michael Ende (yes, the author of "The Neverending Story") and "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint Exupéry. Apart from that I like a lot being with my friends, travelling and learning things.