
Red Hat to remove contentious terms like 'master' and 'slave' from its source - mgamache
https://techxplore.com/news/2020-06-red-hat-contentious-terms-master.html
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craftinator
Possibly unpopular comment:

I think that master/slave correctly describes the relationship between
constructs, and should remain unchanged. It is adequately separated from any
sort of human relationship, and doesn't in any way glorify human slavery; in
fact it actively separates the machine relationships from human ones. We can
look at the relationships between these constructs, and see how far removed it
is from any relationship in modern society.

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weare138
> _I think that master /slave correctly describes the relationship between
> constructs_

But it's not the only way to describe it. There are other ways to describe it
without using contentious terms.

~~~
sinker
The terms have racial undertones which are more pronounced than they ought to
be due to the current political environment.

The master/slave term is an accurate metaphor for the technology, and we can
infer that no racial discrimination is intended by its usage.

We have to assume people who are performing intelligent work are capable of
nuance and discretion.

And for people working on serious problems in science and technology, in order
for them to progress effectively, they need to be insulated from silly little
identity politics intrusions like this.

~~~
weare138
>We have to assume people who are performing intelligent work are capable of
nuance and discretion

Which is why myself and many others in the industry would not see a problem
using different terms. I know I don't need to explain this to you, but we're
in a constantly evolving industry subject to rapid change. It's something
we're all accustom to so one more minor change, especially one that's
inconsequential to the industry as a whole but significant to the people it
affects, shouldn't be a point of contention. Our industry has always been
focused on the future and part of that innovation is being able to let go of
our fleeting past and keep moving forward.

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sinker
This is a bad precedent. We are seeing companies pre-emptively capitulate to
social media outrage from spheres completely outside their own domain.

This is not an act from humanist principles. This is just addressing surface
level, visible things that are in no way racist or offensive - until a
political environment coerces you to believe it is.

Unfortunately, capitulation is good for business.

But in the long-term this will be incredibly damaging to the principles of
free speech, open discourse, science, and the advancement of technology.

In what way is it good for tech companies, research institutes, academic
institutions to bend to the forceful compliance of mid-20s liberal arts
students who have yet to undertake any real responsibility in society, who
have yet to enter into any domain of societal consequence?

