4 ms·

Is there a list of objectionable words/language that one is not supposed to use? A quick search on the f-work gives thousands of hits on github.

shawnps 11y ago
Interestingly, a search for "retard" in code on GitHub yields over 200,000 results: https://github.com/search?q=retard&type=Code&utf8=%E2%9C%93 https://github.com/search?q=retard&type=Code&utf8=%E2%9C%93 Not sure what made this particular case different.
- barsonme 11y ago
  Or, decidedly even more offensive: https://github.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=nigger&type=Code&ref=searchresults https://github.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=nigger&type=Code&...
  - forthwall 11y ago
    Most of those are badwordlists.
    - barsonme 11y ago
      On the first couple pages, yeah. Skip 10+ pages and you get stuff like "nigger stole my bike" etc. As a side question, shouldn't it be fairly easy to flag those repositories and then sort through those who have it as an offensive word list and those who are just being derogatory?
- austenallred 11y ago
  Probably that someone complained
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- EugeneOZ 11y ago
  I don't understand why they don't filter it on upload stage ("push"). "git push" > "sorry, can't push because of words: [list of words here]". Is it more difficult than later disable whole repo because of one stupid joke?
  - danielparks 11y ago
    Because you may need to put those words in a repo in a non-offensive context. For example, a list of "bad" words to look for.
    - EugeneOZ 11y ago
      I'm against censorship at all, but when humans are involved in process, it becomes much worse.
    - Cthulhu_ 11y ago
      You could work with hashed variants in that case; there might be performance benefits there, too.
JoshTriplett 11y ago
Those aren't typically derogatory descriptions of people, though. Profanity isn't necessarily an issue; derogatory language is. I'd expect Github to take down repositories containing slurs of any kind, while leaving up things like https://github.com/nvbn/thefuck/ https://github.com/nvbn/thefuck/
- waterlesscloud 11y ago
  It took me about 1 minute find other repositories using derogatory descriptions of people. I didn't even have to use my imagination.
  - JoshTriplett 11y ago
    And it would take you another 2 to report them, and github a few moments to act on it. They don't necessarily proactively search for it, they act on reports.
- Asbostos 11y ago
  That doesn't explain why they were seemingly allowed to replace "retards" with "gits" which is obviously still being used with the same derogatory meaning.
slantyyz 11y ago
Isn't the name "git" (and therefore "github") itself considered pejorative? IIRC, Linus did name the tool after the British slang word. "Git is a mild pejorative with origins in British English for a silly, incompetent, stupid, annoying, senile, elderly or childish person. It is usually an insult, more severe than twit or idiot but less severe than wanker, arsehole or (redacted)." Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Git_(slang) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Git_(slang) ps. Yes, I'm a prude. And yes, I redacted a word from the Wikipedia definition above.
- saryant 11y ago
  Github is an American company and the use of the word "git" in American English is not at all common. They may not know. That said, I find this whole thing to be silly. What can you possibly get out of choosing to be the word police?
  - slantyyz 11y ago
    >> "git" in American English is not at all common. It's common, except it's a verb, no? As Larry the Cable Guy would say, "git r done".

shawnps 11y ago

Interestingly, a search for "retard" in code on GitHub yields over 200,000 results: https://github.com/search?q=retard&type=Code&utf8=%E2%9C%93 https://github.com/search?q=retard&type=Code&utf8=%E2%9C%93 Not sure what made this particular case different.

barsonme 11y ago
Or, decidedly even more offensive: https://github.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=nigger&type=Code&ref=searchresults https://github.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=nigger&type=Code&...
- forthwall 11y ago
  Most of those are badwordlists.
  - barsonme 11y ago
    On the first couple pages, yeah. Skip 10+ pages and you get stuff like "nigger stole my bike" etc. As a side question, shouldn't it be fairly easy to flag those repositories and then sort through those who have it as an offensive word list and those who are just being derogatory?
austenallred 11y ago
Probably that someone complained
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
EugeneOZ 11y ago
I don't understand why they don't filter it on upload stage ("push"). "git push" > "sorry, can't push because of words: [list of words here]". Is it more difficult than later disable whole repo because of one stupid joke?
- danielparks 11y ago
  Because you may need to put those words in a repo in a non-offensive context. For example, a list of "bad" words to look for.
  - EugeneOZ 11y ago
    I'm against censorship at all, but when humans are involved in process, it becomes much worse.
  - Cthulhu_ 11y ago
    You could work with hashed variants in that case; there might be performance benefits there, too.

JoshTriplett 11y ago

Those aren't typically derogatory descriptions of people, though. Profanity isn't necessarily an issue; derogatory language is. I'd expect Github to take down repositories containing slurs of any kind, while leaving up things like https://github.com/nvbn/thefuck/ https://github.com/nvbn/thefuck/

waterlesscloud 11y ago
It took me about 1 minute find other repositories using derogatory descriptions of people. I didn't even have to use my imagination.
- JoshTriplett 11y ago
  And it would take you another 2 to report them, and github a few moments to act on it. They don't necessarily proactively search for it, they act on reports.
Asbostos 11y ago
That doesn't explain why they were seemingly allowed to replace "retards" with "gits" which is obviously still being used with the same derogatory meaning.

slantyyz 11y ago

Isn't the name "git" (and therefore "github") itself considered pejorative? IIRC, Linus did name the tool after the British slang word. "Git is a mild pejorative with origins in British English for a silly, incompetent, stupid, annoying, senile, elderly or childish person. It is usually an insult, more severe than twit or idiot but less severe than wanker, arsehole or (redacted)." Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Git_(slang) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Git_(slang) ps. Yes, I'm a prude. And yes, I redacted a word from the Wikipedia definition above.

saryant 11y ago
Github is an American company and the use of the word "git" in American English is not at all common. They may not know. That said, I find this whole thing to be silly. What can you possibly get out of choosing to be the word police?
- slantyyz 11y ago
  >> "git" in American English is not at all common. It's common, except it's a verb, no? As Larry the Cable Guy would say, "git r done".