Microsoft Helping Out In Making The Linux Kernel Language More Inclusive

[Emmanuel Deloget]

You're right and I'm sorry I didn't mention that I approve inclusivity and I should've just stayed on point. I am all for new nomenclature to adopt that, just not about rewriting history.

All the mental burden it causes when you have to explain why an interface is named X in one place and Y in the other. Use up reviewers time to make sure it doesn't introduce a backdoor somewhere. Having actual hardware silk screens that have the old nomenclature and you have to explain why it is I2SM on the hardware but I2SC in the code.

That's a lot of time and effort when it comes to changing nomenclature that must not be interpreted as history or politics but as hardware level controls. It is being changed for reasons that does not improve understanding of the protocol nor code.

Let me quote the commit for you.

I2C v7, SMBus 3.2, and I3C specifications have replaced "master/slave"
with more appropriate terms. Inspired by and following on to Wolfram's
series to fix drivers/i2c/[1], fix the terminology for users of the
I2C_ALGOBIT bitbanging interface, now that the approved verbiage exists
in the specification.

We're engineers. We're supposed to be capable beings. If I cannot remember that the new "client" is what we used to call "slave" a few years ago, I'm not sure I can still call myself an engineer.

[anda_skoa]

All the mental burden it causes when you have to explain why an interface is named X in one place and Y in the other.

The email to the Linux kernel list states that these changes were primarily adjusting the names used in the code to the exact ones used in the respective hardware specification documents.

Which sounds like a very reasonable thing to do.

If some people find the new names more "inclusive" then this is merely a bonus.
The actual value is aligning the nomenclature within certain technology stacks

[SilverBird775]

Do they even see the irony or humor in any of this - and are gaslighting us all about it - or do you think they cannot perceive it?

That's intentional, indeed. Unfortunately this fight will end very badly for all of us. Command and execute was and will always be the way of machines. Master and Slave terminology is the integral part of the machine. It seems it pisses off some people that got their hands on source code. If some system was called "slave", then there was a clear technological reasoning behind it and not because the engineer was excited how it sounds. Because of that clear reasoning and precise clarification the robotic lines, cloud servers, etc are able to work 24/7 without the rest or demands of any kind. All of this to free some time for some agressive individuals to fight for inclusivity where it is not supposed to be.

[deusexmachina]

That's intentional, indeed.

I don't think they really care (i.e. about "slave" being used in the code of a software program) which is why they've never once cared to explain themselves. It is merely a display of power and dominance and a victory lap at this point. Everything must align with the ideology and no one who questions the ideology is permitted to get a coherent answer on what that ideology even is... I don't find many better explanations than literal possession at this point.

[NotMine999]

The email to the Linux kernel list states that these changes were primarily adjusting the names used in the code to the exact ones used in the respective hardware specification documents.

Which sounds like a very reasonable thing to do.

If some people find the new names more "inclusive" then this is merely a bonus.
The actual value is aligning the nomenclature within certain technology stacks

Thank you for injecting a moment of sanity & truthfulness into this otherwise Moronix thread.

[HEL88]

Now it's time to make microsoft more inclusive. I've heard they're racists, so I'd like to inspect their code.

[email protected]

Write. Maybe you will get access. They have been sharing code for 23 years.

But if you don't represent a large company, are not an OEM supplier, don't represent the government, or don't have MVP status, I see it poorly.

Just being woke is not enough.

[TiCPU]

The email to the Linux kernel list states that these changes were primarily adjusting the names used in the code to the exact ones used in the respective hardware specification documents.

Let me quote the commit for you. [...]

That's something I mentioned in my first post as well.

And they took the time to update the standards as well before it finally rains down into a kernel patchset. So many hours by so many people for a "no functionality changes intended" patchset.

This was my exact concern, it looks like a lot of work has gone thru this, the documentation mentions it started before 2021.

v.7 20211001 User manual; seventh release
Modifications: • Updated Table 5
• Updated the terms "master/slave" to "controller/target" throughout to align with MIPI I3C
specification and NXP's Inclusive Language Project
• Added Section 9

I read a bit about it https://www.nxp.com/company/blog/we-...ERRY-ALEXANDER and one of the goal is:

It is imperative that we create an inclusive culture to leverage this diversity. Part of achieving this is educating and encouraging employees to appreciate diversity within our own company and in society as a whole.

That is a lot of ongoing work, and in my opinion, I'm not sure changing terminology in the source code will help achieve this goal compared to simply showing acceptance in the guidelines of how people interact in projects. I'd even say that it sometimes foster the mission of those changes in creating more divisive conversations.

Let me be clear, I'm not against the change being considered and applied, I wouldn't want any of this work to go to waste. I'm just questioning if this is really the path to a better future and if it is time that is well invested in making projects like the Linux kernel more inclusive. It probably isn't the right place to discuss that but I was curious to gather opinions.

Edit: replaced a «it» by «changing terminology in the source code».

[bachchain]

It's weird how these "problematic" words existed for the entirety of computer science as a field completely free of prejudicial connotation until one day four years ago they suddenly did.

[ElectricPrism]

Alchemy as a religion is back baby.

The belief that Piss can be turned into Gold.

The hand of shiteazz is upon us.

People don't remember but Scientology used to be cool 50 years ago because they put "Science" in the name.

[bacteriamanicure]

Don't like it? Fork it!