this post was submitted on 11 Feb 2025
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[–] [email protected] 32 points 3 days ago (23 children)

Yeah...this one is sadly on brand

[–] [email protected] 44 points 3 days ago (21 children)

Sadly? Master branch never implied the existence of a slave branch. It was one of the dumbest pieces of woke incursion into tech.

[–] chonglibloodsport 20 points 3 days ago (6 children)

Yes exactly. It’s a reference to the recording industry’s practice of calling the final version of an album the “master” which gets sent for duplication.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

That's just not true. It originally came from Bitkeeper's terminology, which had a master branch and slave branches.

[–] chonglibloodsport 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Not according to pasky, the git contributor who picked the names.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Well, he doesn't seem so sure about it himself. From the same link:

(But as noted in a separate thread, it is possible it stems from bitkeeper's master/slave terminology. I hoped to do some historical research but health emergency in my family delayed that.)

[–] chonglibloodsport 3 points 2 days ago

He also said:

the impression words form in the reader is more important than their intent

He didn’t intend for the master/slave connotation. He intended for the recording master connotation. Either way, he regrets using the word master and he’s supportive of the change.

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