Inclusive Language Initiative

Owned by djhunt
Last updated: Sept 29, 2020 by Bob Monkman (Deactivated)
2 min read

Challenge

How does LFN assure that we are using language in our documentation and code that is inclusive and does not include any implicit or explicit bias?

Goal

TAC working group to provide to LFN projects:

  • terminology list with suggested replacements

  • guidance on how to implement (docs, code, tooling, versions, etc)

LFN Projects to implement suggestions/guidance as appropriate for their projects

Overall Plan

  • gather additional guidelines from LF and relevant standards groups on their terminology list

  • finalize a terminology list with recommended replacements

  • suggest scope & processes to implement

LFN Mailing List

inclusive-lang-wg@lists.lfnetworking.org

Join Mailing List

Action items

Background Information Gathered

(thanks @Trevor Cooper )

Python joins movement to dump 'offensive' master, slave terms - https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/09/11/python_purges_master_and_slave_in_political_pogrom/

Redis replaces master/slave language - https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/09/13/redis_master_slave/

Salvatore Sanfilippo (aka Antirez), creator of Redis, ran an on-line Twitter poll of his followers, and found that 53% out of 6242 participants wanted to replace master-slave language; with 19% wanting to keep it and 28% that didn’t care. https://twitter.com/antirez/status/1038094104129937408

Microsoft Style Guide advises alternatives to master/slave - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/style-guide/a-z-word-list-term-collections/m/master-slave-master-subordinate

Google told Employees to Delete Politically Incorrect Language From Code - https://reason.com/2019/07/11/google-code-pc-master-slave-respectful/

Los Angeles, CA asked manufactures, suppliers & contractors to stop using master/slave terminology, calling it unacceptable & offensive - http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/ptech/11/26/master.term.reut/index.html

Drupal - https://www.drupal.org/project/drupal/issues/2275877

Django - https://github.com/django/django/pull/2692 .  Lots of discussion on this thread from those on both sides of the issue.

IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) - https://tools.ietf.org/id/draft-knodel-terminology-00.html . Proposal in process to replace master/slave and blacklist/whitelist language.  

GitHub – “Microsoft's Github is removing coding terms like 'master' and 'slave’”

Washington Post – “There’s an industry that talks daily about ‘masters’ and ‘slaves.’ It needs to stop.”

ZDNET (7/11/20) – “Linux team approves new terminology, bans terms like 'blacklist' and 'slave’”

Red Hat blog from CTO (and LFN board member) Chris Wright https://www.redhat.com/en/blog/making-open-source-more-inclusive-eradicating-problematic-language

ODPI open source project discussion: https://github.com/odpi/egeria/issues/3486

Linux Kernal: Linux kernal community guidelines:   https://lkml.org/lkml/2020/7/4/229

CNCF:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bnPvb6oE07Wg9rb7kBXcpHe6j85bbyltdc0h0_gil88/edit#

Table of reference replacement terms from links above and other sources

Project/Company

Term Option

Term Option

Term Option

Comments

Project/Company

Term Option

Term Option

Term Option

Comments

DPDK.org

Master->Primary

Slave->Secondary

Blacklist→Blocklist

Whitelist->Allowlist

 

Drupal

Master->Primary

Slave->Replica

 

 

Django

Master->Leader

Slave->Follower

 

 

Python

Master->Parent

Slave→worker, helpers

 

 

Redis

Master->Primary

Slave->Replica

 

 

Microsoft

Master→Primary, Principal, Controller

Slave→ Replica, Secondary, Agent

 

 

Google

Master->Primary

Slave→ Replica

 

 

GitHub

Master->Main

 

 

 

Red Hat

Master->Main

 

Whitelist→ Allowlist

Blacklist→ Blocklist

 

Intel

Master→Primary, Leader, Orchestrator, Host, Initiator

Slave→ Follower, Worker, Target, Responder

Whitelist→ Safelist, PassList

Blacklist→ Blocklist

 

IETF

Master→Primary, Leader, Active, Parent, Coordinator

Slave→ Secondary, Follower, Standby, Replica, Helper, Worker

 

 

Twitter

Master→ Leader, Primary

Slave→ Follower, Replica, Standby

Whitelist→ Allowlist

Blacklist→ Denylist

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Team 

(to be confirmed)

@Al Morton

@Bob Monkman (Deactivated)

@Emma Foley

@Trevor Cooper

@djhunt