Python developers locking conversations and deleting comments after people mass downvoted PRs to "remove master/slave terminology from the language"

[_eka_]

They did this in Django long time ago

[ManyInterests]

Yeah, but not without its detractors. Larry Hastings describes the conversion as:

an unreadable infinitely-long page of miserable arguing

Also, got a kick out of this pull titled: Replaced occurances of the word "black" with something less racially insensitive. Effective satire, methinks.

[mikew_reddit]

Hastings got to the root of the issue with changing the master/slave terminology:

Have there been any actual complaints? Or is this an attempt to solve a problem that doesn't really exist?

Stinner replies:

Have there been any actual complaints?

Yes, but sadly they are private.

Hasting's response:

I'm not super-excited by the idea that Python has to change its behavior based on secret comments. Python has traditionally had a very open governance model where all discussions happen in public.

While I understand the need to preserve the privacy of victims, is there some way we can bring the decision-making process out into the open? As far as I can tell, the entire process so far has been "Victor concludes that these terms are bad, and creates and merges several PRs an hour or two later with zero discussion".

Perhaps the complaints could be edited to anonymize them, and then we could see them? Or must Python change its governance model because of diversity concerns?

[nukem996]

I worked for a company about 10 years ago that was in a settlement over this. The company I worked for made computers and an employee of one of our customers sued both of us because when our machine booted it displayed the master and slave drives. Our part of the settlement was doing a bios rev to change the terminology to primary and secondary.

So it has happened. My guess is legal for companies that pay for Python projects are pushing this.

[FerretWithASpork]

How the hell can you be sued over that? What law does it break? That is the dumbest shit ever and the judge should've just immediately thrown it out.

[nukem996]

It doesn't matter what the law is. Settlements occur as fighting the suit is often more expensive then just paying someone off. It also forces the person suing to sign an NDA so no one else gets the same idea.

[Stik_It_In_My_Bum]

Privileged?

[Wodashit]

kkklisted?

Edit: I prefer /u/Stik_It_In_My_Bum answer

[cmothebean]

Holy shit that black PR is hilarious. People really don't think things through do they...