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I really don't understand this war on language that is so prevalent in tech circles. There's a bunch of these like switching git branches from "master" to "main

I really don't understand this war on language that is so prevalent in tech circles. There's a bunch of these like switching git branches from "master" to "main" or "blacklist"/"whitelist" to "allowlist"/"denylist" and I have yet to see a single problem that all of this term shuffling has actually solved.

a5c11 1y ago
It's usually pushed by people who want to feel "modern" and "proper". It doesn't have any value added, never helped anyone other than people who pushed that. The curious thing about the word "slave" is that it originates from "slavs" i.e. people living in slavic countries, who were forced to slavery, yet we aren't freaking about that (I'm a slav by myself), it's just a word.
- megaloblasto 1y ago
  This is a very hot take that I've never seen expressed before. The subtle use of words has a major impact on society and the people in it.
  - a5c11 1y ago
    There are societies, however, where words aren't (shouldn't be) treated emotionally, like engineers and scientists. Engineers put priority on ease of communication and clarity. We just do the job, we didn't ask for DEI lectures. You want to be included - show your skills. As simple as that.
    - y0eswddl 1y ago
      Just because it's not conscious and intentional doesn't mean that there isn't still an effect. It's the way our brains work - the intention doesn't necessarily matter. Next time you're pissed off, try expressing out loud how "darn peeved" you are and watch how much words change how we think and feel
dubbel 1y ago
If it weren't effective, large businesses and interest ("lobby") groups wouldn't spend millions on trying to establish certain words. Calling it "sideloading" instead of "installing" software successfully cements the notion that it is somehow not a completely normal thing to do. That's problem solved for the Googles and Apples of the world. See the history of "jaywalking".
- fauigerzigerk 1y ago
  True, but on the other hand the meaning of words often follows usage rather than the other way around. There is no choice of words that will make it normal to install mobile apps from anywhere other than an app store. Whatever word we use will take on the meaning of doing something unusual. "Sideloading" doesn't have an inherent or deeply ingrained negative connotation. I don't see a reason to try to change it.
  - inetknght 1y ago
    > "Sideloading" doesn't have an inherent or deeply ingrained negative connotation. Let me just "sideload" an app onto my laptop... Does that make sense at all? "Sideload" and not "install"?
uselesswords 1y ago
It’s modern tech sycophancy. Meaningless change that serves no one, but the ones pushing it. They get to say they did something to “fight” some sort of inequality when it’s all just performative. Worse, in the examples you gave, it draws attention away from real issues to fight a culture war that was kind of already won years ago.
andrepd 1y ago
Apples and oranges. Blacklist→allowlist is 2010s social justice virtue signalling thing. Sideloading→installing is about a word that is scary to normies vs a word that's completely normal and neutral. See the history of words such as "jaywalking" or "carbon footprint" and how their usage cements the respective ideas.
- ManlyBread 1y ago
  It's not an apples and oranges thing, it's the same practice of changing one term to an another because someone out there chose to believe that these words are somehow so powerful that they're pushing away swaths of people. You have no way of proving that "side loading" somehow scares away people because such proof does not exist.
lopis 1y ago
Words have nuanced meanings and emotions attached to them, and people take emotional biased actions based on them.
zulban 1y ago
Because for most people hearing the term is the only education they get about the concept.
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
sgustard 1y ago
I save two keystrokes typing "main" these days so I'm happy. Also, words change from time to time, life goes on.

a5c11 1y ago

It's usually pushed by people who want to feel "modern" and "proper". It doesn't have any value added, never helped anyone other than people who pushed that. The curious thing about the word "slave" is that it originates from "slavs" i.e. people living in slavic countries, who were forced to slavery, yet we aren't freaking about that (I'm a slav by myself), it's just a word.

megaloblasto 1y ago
This is a very hot take that I've never seen expressed before. The subtle use of words has a major impact on society and the people in it.
- a5c11 1y ago
  There are societies, however, where words aren't (shouldn't be) treated emotionally, like engineers and scientists. Engineers put priority on ease of communication and clarity. We just do the job, we didn't ask for DEI lectures. You want to be included - show your skills. As simple as that.
  - y0eswddl 1y ago
    Just because it's not conscious and intentional doesn't mean that there isn't still an effect. It's the way our brains work - the intention doesn't necessarily matter. Next time you're pissed off, try expressing out loud how "darn peeved" you are and watch how much words change how we think and feel

dubbel 1y ago

If it weren't effective, large businesses and interest ("lobby") groups wouldn't spend millions on trying to establish certain words. Calling it "sideloading" instead of "installing" software successfully cements the notion that it is somehow not a completely normal thing to do. That's problem solved for the Googles and Apples of the world. See the history of "jaywalking".

fauigerzigerk 1y ago
True, but on the other hand the meaning of words often follows usage rather than the other way around. There is no choice of words that will make it normal to install mobile apps from anywhere other than an app store. Whatever word we use will take on the meaning of doing something unusual. "Sideloading" doesn't have an inherent or deeply ingrained negative connotation. I don't see a reason to try to change it.
- inetknght 1y ago
  > "Sideloading" doesn't have an inherent or deeply ingrained negative connotation. Let me just "sideload" an app onto my laptop... Does that make sense at all? "Sideload" and not "install"?

uselesswords 1y ago

It’s modern tech sycophancy. Meaningless change that serves no one, but the ones pushing it. They get to say they did something to “fight” some sort of inequality when it’s all just performative. Worse, in the examples you gave, it draws attention away from real issues to fight a culture war that was kind of already won years ago.

andrepd 1y ago

Apples and oranges. Blacklist→allowlist is 2010s social justice virtue signalling thing. Sideloading→installing is about a word that is scary to normies vs a word that's completely normal and neutral. See the history of words such as "jaywalking" or "carbon footprint" and how their usage cements the respective ideas.

ManlyBread 1y ago
It's not an apples and oranges thing, it's the same practice of changing one term to an another because someone out there chose to believe that these words are somehow so powerful that they're pushing away swaths of people. You have no way of proving that "side loading" somehow scares away people because such proof does not exist.

lopis 1y ago

Words have nuanced meanings and emotions attached to them, and people take emotional biased actions based on them.

zulban 1y ago

Because for most people hearing the term is the only education they get about the concept.

deleted 1y ago

[deleted]

sgustard 1y ago

I save two keystrokes typing "main" these days so I'm happy. Also, words change from time to time, life goes on.