NetworkManager 1.50 Released - Now Ensures Offensive Terms Don't Appear In Settings

[Old Grouch]

Someone please teach these people the concept of "context". Just because someone's name is "Dick" or "Dickinson" or "Dickson", that doesn't mean their names are offensive!

Context is tricky. You are describing a manifestation of the 'Scunthorpe problem', and some people do not regard context as a suitable defence.

Personally, I think context is important, but I am also aware that some people strongly argue the opposite, and there is no clear resolution to the dispute. Of course, I think I'm right, but that means nothing to someone equally convinced that I am wrong.

Wise heads on both sides will seek to find ways to de-escalate the conflict.

[woddy]

Just the fact that all the comments are discussing the changed terms is stupid.
Regardless of whether you like it or not, what's the problem?
Were there no reasons to do it? For some yes, for others no, but what's the problem if you decide to change the name of something? Or maybe it's just political controversy?

[lowflyer]

I am on an Artix system. Can I replace Network Manager with something else?

[blackiwid]

Most of these language oriented changes actually clarify meaning. Like DSA_conduit is clearer than master. Same in SPI, dev/periph is clearer than master/slave.

Sure that was the reason to change it, that is just a excuse... the reason was clearly a different one, for me as not native English speaker master slave is pretty clear I understand that term, I have no idea what conduit means... can I learn it sure but it's another step. It's a less used word so less non-native speaker now it.

But to be clear that is American-focused bullshit, in other languages Master (Meister) are even official names of professions like Apprentice, we have the bakery master as example you have to fullfill a long process and a test at the end to become the master and often you need the master title to open a business in this sectors.

So just because of the very specific American slave history in the technical world where English is used not as a American language but a international language for the reason that most people now it, we cater to US Universities only, and some US companies infiltrated by this stupid people hyper sensitivity.

Would you like it if we do that in reverse and be racist against your country? Our Woke people want to force the country to use "inclusive" new language, so we have the general masculine meaning that if you want to describe 4 male doctors and 1 female doctors you would say "Doktoren" (plural) but if it were only women you would say "Doctorinnen", you have that also in English, you have a male and a female form host, hostess, so our wokies solve that that you now would speak host_ess with pause/glock sound in between, in writing we write it host*es, the star is for the non-binary and other people, so to include all people in the language.

So now let's implement German woki-stupidness let's rename all verbs to this form, so let's replace slave with opeative*ness or do only American wokeness rules matter for 100% international projects?

[blackiwid]

They are to some, and the question is whether the people for whom the terms are offensive, or worse, trigger PTSD (modern slavery exists) should be taken into account when code is written/technology is used.

Then we should bann the word "dad" because many as child abused people got abused by their dad's and even other sex slaves were told to use that term, it's very common. In such abusive/rape scenarious directly after calling the abuser "master" the next common word is "dad". So we should bann this term then, too, according to your logic, to not create PTSD for this raped children.

[deusexmachina]

There's a group of people whose general ethnicity literally derives from and sounds like the word "slave": Slavic. Yet all of these approved NPC SJW types would "deduct points" or short circuit their own logic because Slavs are overwhelmingly "white" (in NPC vernacular). Queue the NPC bluescreen memes... Regarding engineering quality, we need to remove these mind viruses from our engineering staff - they're so easy to scan for, but the genius virus has made its own removal socially taboo.

[fitzie]

They are to some, and the question is whether the people for whom the terms are offensive, or worse, trigger PTSD (modern slavery exists) should be taken into account when code is written/technology is used.

The question is not whether the words are offensive in themselves, but whether other people's feelings and opinions should be taken into account when we do things.

Many people justify their position by using context and intent - the words are not being used in the context of an actual, human, master-slave relationship, and the intent of using them in a technological context is not (usually) one of wishing to upset others, although some people will want to do exactly that.

Unfortunately, not everyone thinks that the context and intent arguments override the feelings and opinions they have, and both groups of people can feel very strongly that they are right. Conflict results.

There are other terms that can be used, which would be helpful to defuse the conflict. My wish is that other terms, when used, should be technically accurate; and unambiguous. For this reason, I don't like 'blocklist', as it can have two distinct meanings (a list of blocks on a block-based storage medium; or a list of things to be prevented - 'blocked') - I would prefer deny-list, paired with allow-list.

Sometimes the right thing to do is to be nice to people.

kindness is reciprocal, most of the people wanting us all to be "nice to people" were calling the rest of us names. you can abuse people's nature empathy for only so long, eventually it becomes obvious that it's a scam, the words they want to control are harmless, avoiding them doesn't help anyone, and the word police people will not give it a rest, so accommodating them will only encourage them to do more.

[fitzie]

Just the fact that all the comments are discussing the changed terms is stupid.
Regardless of whether you like it or not, what's the problem?
Were there no reasons to do it? For some yes, for others no, but what's the problem if you decide to change the name of something? Or maybe it's just political controversy?

the wonderful thing is that there is no problem. phoronix community looks at this language change in NetworkMaster* from both sides, we don't have any hospital visits because I wrote master or blacklist. we're just talking to each other mostly respectfully. like we do all the time. if this forum was under the control of the word police, half of us would be banned by now, probably long before this article was posted.

* formally known as NetworkManager

[ZeroPointEnergy]

Michael: "Oh rent is up. Let's put out a bait post to farm all the bigots"

[blackiwid]

Michael: "Oh rent is up. Let's put out a bait post to farm all the bigots"

If the majority of people are bigots according to your definition you should better learn to live with them not attack them. And yes we have statistics about this here in Germany as example the new woke speech rules the "gendering" of the language is disliked bi 80-90% of the population, yet the public force paid TV / other Media keeps using this hated language.