The Linux Team Approves New Neutral Terminology

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An anonymous reader quotes ZDNet:

Linus Torvalds approved on Friday a new and more inclusive terminology for the Linux kernel code and documentation. Going forward, Linux developers have been asked to use new terms for the master/slave and blacklist/whitelist terminologies…

The Linux team did not recommend any specific terms but asked developers to choose as appropriate. The new terms are to be used for new source code written for the Linux kernel and its associated documentation.

The older terms, considered inadequate now, will only be allowed for maintaining older code and documentation, or “when updating code for an existing (as of 2020) hardware or protocol specification that mandates those terms.”
Proposed alternatives for master/slave include:

  • primary/secondary
  • main/replica or subordinate
  • initiator/target
  • requester/responder
  • controller/device
  • host/worker or proxy
  • leader/follower
  • director/performer

Proposed alternatives for blacklist/whitelist include:

  • denylist/allowlist
  • blocklist/passlist
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