Inclusive Language Initiative
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
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.
IETF is working on Best Current Practice document. Here is version 4: https://tools.ietf.org/id/draft-knodel-terminology-04.html
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:
Racially charged terminology: A Path Forward: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TTsAX1FL8lglgGZM-o8AN8bgqWIYIx6F5_ZGDBVYx9U/edit
CNCF Naming Working Group: Using more Inclusive language brainstorm:
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 |
---|---|---|---|---|
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 | ||
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 | ||
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