13-year-old 'Linux guru'

Most of us don't even know what Linux is, much less speak with authority on it at conferences. Plus, in an era when researchers are trying to figure out why there aren't enough girls in math and science, this little Linux guru is a girl. [Linux is the open-source computer operating system started by Linus Torvalds and called "open source" because it's continuously evolving as it's contributed to and improved upon by software writers worldwide.] Elizabeth Garbee "may not know as much about Linux as her father Bdale Garbee, Linux CTO for HP and former Debian Project Leader [he helped Elizabeth install her first Debian server when she was 9], but that won't stop her from presenting at linux.conf.au 2005," ZDNET UK reports. Elizabeth will be speaking on "Extending Tuxracer – Learning by Playing," a seminar about making modifications to the popular open-source game, Tuxracer (featuring the fat little penguin who is the Linux mascot), to make it more fun, ZDNET UK adds. The conference will be held at Australian National University in late April.