linux-kernel - Re: [Tech-board-discuss] [PATCH] CodingStyle: Inclusive Terminology

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Message-ID: <20200706191555.GD6176@sirena.org.uk>
Date:   Mon, 6 Jul 2020 20:15:55 +0100
From:   Mark Brown <broonie@...nel.org>
To:     Dan Williams <dan.j.williams@...el.com>
Cc:     torvalds@...ux-foundation.org,
        ksummit-discuss@...ts.linuxfoundation.org,
        Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@...uxfoundation.org>,
        linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
        tech-board-discuss@...ts.linuxfoundation.org,
        Chris Mason <clm@...clm>
Subject: Re: [Tech-board-discuss] [PATCH] CodingStyle: Inclusive Terminology

On Sat, Jul 04, 2020 at 01:02:51PM -0700, Dan Williams wrote:

> +'blacklist'. Recommended replacements for 'slave' are: 'secondary',
> +'subordinate', 'replica', 'responder', 'follower', 'proxy', or

I'd second the suggestion of device as an option here.

> +Of course it is around this point someone jumps in with an etymological
> +argument about why people should not be offended. Etymological arguments
> +do not scale. The scope and pace of Linux to reach new developers
> +exceeds the ability of historical terminology defenders to describe "no,

More generally etymological arguments are just not super relevant here
anyway, the issues people have are around current perceptions rather
than where things came from.

> +not that connotation". The revelation of 2020 was that black voices were
> +heard on a global scale and the Linux kernel project has done its small
> +part to answer that call as it wants black voices, among all voices, in
> +its developer community.

This, especially the bit about "revelation of 2020", sounds a little
off to me - I think it's that it's worryingly close to the frequently
derided pattern where people recognise a problem that other people have
been talking about for a while and treat it as something new.  Perhaps a
more neutrally worded reference to current events and/or our desire to
improve instead?

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