4 ms·

Main is better. Master/slave has uncomfortable connotations. This one isn't a big deal.

BadCookie 5y ago
Slavery was horrible and should not be forgotten. Erasing all related words so that we can all comfortably forget it ever happened seems … wrong? That’s another way of looking at it, anyway.
- burnished 5y ago
  How is that erasure? It's ok to change your word choice, and I didn't think slavery being an uncomfortable topic was uncommon until this thread.
veeti 5y ago
Where is the slave in git?
- burnished 5y ago
  There isn't, but if you are going to learn about computers then you're going to hear a lot about master/slave relationships. If you don't get exposed to that kind of jargon then it wouldn't surprise me if you don't have that connotation as strongly and instead only thought of master as in "mastery" or the degree after a bachelors.
- bloak 5y ago
  There is no "slave" in Git, but the term "master", like many things in Git, is taken from BitKeeper, which did have a "slave". Or so I've read, for example here: https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/474419/does-the-term-master-in-git-the-vc-system-refer-to-slavery https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/474419/does-the-...
CoastalCoder 5y ago
I agree that "main" is better, purely because it's a more intuitive word for that role. As far as "uncomfortable connotations", would you agree that that's a subjective claim? I don't like that forced slavery is a thing, but I'm capable of handling context-specific word meanings, and of not getting emotional due to alternative meanings.
- burnished 5y ago
  Of course it's contextual, it's not an absolute claim on truth. I'm not talking about a hypothetical, I'm talking about real feelings.
influx 5y ago
Just FYI, it's Master as in Master record. This is different from database terminology where there is a master and slave.
- burnished 5y ago
  Oh that is neat thank you
tomp 5y ago
> Master/slave has uncomfortable connotations Why? I think that slavery is bad only if the slaves are people. I want machines to be my slaves! (non-sentient machines only, dear future AI overlords!)
- aendruk 5y ago
  This counterargument is cute, but realistically if ever comes the day that slave feels like an appropriate term to use for my machines, I think I’ll still be a bit queasy.
- burnished 5y ago
  Because the idea of a slave has immediate connotations of people being enslaved. I'm not talking in some broad philosophical sense of rightness, I mean it brings to mind, for me, thoughts about human slavery that are uncomfortable.
  - skummetmaelk 5y ago
    So what? Are we going to find a new word for "driver" because it brings to mind being driven to do something, without autonomy, perhaps against your will too? Are we going to remove "duplicate" because we can somehow imagine that genetically identical twins are offended by this? Are we going to remove "admittance" (inverse of impedance) because people will be uncomfortable when reminded that they weren't admitted to their first choice institution? These are all equally ridiculous to the master/slave debacle.
    - burnished 5y ago
      Those are all ridiculous examples because they are purely hypothetical, but you're missing the point; if enough people felt strongly about those then yeah, we'd probably change the way we talk.
Tao331 5y ago
Can you please not use the word s____? My ancestors were Slavs, and when I see the word it is a painful reminder of how they were treated as property by Romans who bought and sold their "ex slava" captives. Your use of the word is violence. /s?
Tr3nton 5y ago
If you support this, don't complain when you're found guilty of thoughtcrime for something that seems normal and natural to you.

Slavery was horrible and should not be forgotten. Erasing all related words so that we can all comfortably forget it ever happened seems … wrong? That’s another way of looking at it, anyway.

burnished 5y ago
How is that erasure? It's ok to change your word choice, and I didn't think slavery being an uncomfortable topic was uncommon until this thread.

veeti 5y ago

Where is the slave in git?

burnished 5y ago
There isn't, but if you are going to learn about computers then you're going to hear a lot about master/slave relationships. If you don't get exposed to that kind of jargon then it wouldn't surprise me if you don't have that connotation as strongly and instead only thought of master as in "mastery" or the degree after a bachelors.
bloak 5y ago
There is no "slave" in Git, but the term "master", like many things in Git, is taken from BitKeeper, which did have a "slave". Or so I've read, for example here: https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/474419/does-the-term-master-in-git-the-vc-system-refer-to-slavery https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/474419/does-the-...

CoastalCoder 5y ago

I agree that "main" is better, purely because it's a more intuitive word for that role. As far as "uncomfortable connotations", would you agree that that's a subjective claim? I don't like that forced slavery is a thing, but I'm capable of handling context-specific word meanings, and of not getting emotional due to alternative meanings.

burnished 5y ago
Of course it's contextual, it's not an absolute claim on truth. I'm not talking about a hypothetical, I'm talking about real feelings.

influx 5y ago

Just FYI, it's Master as in Master record. This is different from database terminology where there is a master and slave.

burnished 5y ago
Oh that is neat thank you

tomp 5y ago

> Master/slave has uncomfortable connotations Why? I think that slavery is bad only if the slaves are people. I want machines to be my slaves! (non-sentient machines only, dear future AI overlords!)

aendruk 5y ago
This counterargument is cute, but realistically if ever comes the day that slave feels like an appropriate term to use for my machines, I think I’ll still be a bit queasy.
burnished 5y ago
Because the idea of a slave has immediate connotations of people being enslaved. I'm not talking in some broad philosophical sense of rightness, I mean it brings to mind, for me, thoughts about human slavery that are uncomfortable.
- skummetmaelk 5y ago
  So what? Are we going to find a new word for "driver" because it brings to mind being driven to do something, without autonomy, perhaps against your will too? Are we going to remove "duplicate" because we can somehow imagine that genetically identical twins are offended by this? Are we going to remove "admittance" (inverse of impedance) because people will be uncomfortable when reminded that they weren't admitted to their first choice institution? These are all equally ridiculous to the master/slave debacle.
  - burnished 5y ago
    Those are all ridiculous examples because they are purely hypothetical, but you're missing the point; if enough people felt strongly about those then yeah, we'd probably change the way we talk.

Tao331 5y ago

Can you please not use the word s____? My ancestors were Slavs, and when I see the word it is a painful reminder of how they were treated as property by Romans who bought and sold their "ex slava" captives. Your use of the word is violence. /s?

Tr3nton 5y ago

If you support this, don't complain when you're found guilty of thoughtcrime for something that seems normal and natural to you.