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‘Master,’ ‘Slave’ and the Fight over Offensive Terms in Computing
- rvz 6y ago> ...the debate is still raging. And it will keep on raging until every delicate sunflower is getting the same inclusive rays of sunshine and not ONE offended flower is left in the dark complaining. (Which is forever.) Or Mastercard eventually changes its 'offensive' name. Which ever comes first.
- verdverm 6y agolong live the Wither Rose
- brodouevencode 6y agoThey've only been offensive in the past few months. The decades prior to that it was fine.
- reactspa 6y agoI work in a sensitive field, and was looking for alternative terminology. This article offers good ones for: > blacklist -> blocklist > master -> primary > slave -> secondary It doesn't offer anything for > whitelist -> ?? Got any ideas?
- zamadatix 6y agoIf you're set with blocklist I suppose allowlist would be a good counterpart.
- lodi 6y ago> whitelist -> allowlist Of course, when you replace a word with a synonym you're misdirecting the reader from one set of connotations to another. For example, in a master/slave system, I expect the two components to be interlocked somehow, with the slave being unable to continue if the master hangs. On the other hand, in a primary/secondary setup, the two components should be peers with either being able to continue without the other.
- theluketaylor 6y agowe have switched to using denylist and allowlist at work and have found it a far better term than what it replaces. Our non-technical colleagues understand the terms without any definition or explanation. In the case of a system that can't function without the primary I might think about calling it "subordinate" or "accessory". One we're struggling with is "grandfathered" since that's a relic of the Jim Crow era.
- sneeze-slayer 6y agoWow! I remember learning about these Jim Crow laws--e.g. you could only vote if your grandfather could vote. I never made the connection between the practice and the word. For master/slave alternatives, slave is probably much more loaded then master, but alternatives exist for both. Master: head, primary, lead, captain Slave: worker, drone, replica
- desktopninja 6y agomy two cents: like from saltstack ... master/minion
- desktopninja 6y agoPersonally feel we've lost the plot given the "hyper-sensualized" media coverage, where priming words are thrown at viewers (consumers) without real substance when comes to the journalistic piece. Marketing Psychology at its best.