RFC: Conscious language in the Binutils

[Tadeus Prastowo]

On Tue, Nov 10, 2020 at 3:03 PM Mark Wielaard <mark@klomp.org> wrote:
>
> Hi Nick,
>
> On Thu, 2020-11-05 at 11:52 +0000, Nick Clifton via Binutils wrote:
> >   [I am writing this email with my Red Hat on, rather than my FSF hat].
> >
> >   Inside Red Hat there is an initiative to address some of the language
> >   used in open source projects, making it more inclusive:
> >
> > https://www.redhat.com/en/blog/making-open-source-more-inclusive-eradicating-problematic-language
>
> I think you can keep your FSF hat on since the FSF have campaigns with
> similar goals:
> https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/priority-projects/contribute

No, Nick has done the right thing because otherwise the URL link would
be self-contradicting: "open source" is deemed a problematic language
by the FSF.

> The free software movement is a movement for everyone's freedom. It
> cannot succeed if it does not expand and make the effort to welcome all
> people.
>
> Even if we cannot come to a comprehensive binutils wide policy on
> conscious language at this time I think the concrete patch you produced
> is a good one. The use of 'main', 'controlling', 'built-in' and 'uses'
> clears up what is really going on. It makes the code/comments more
> clear and avoids some language which people have said they find
> troublesome. Well done. Please do push this.

It would have been better if absolute terms, such as "all people" and
"people have said", could have been avoided as I believe "some people"
is the more accurate term in this case.  I personally disagree with
the proposed patch.

> Cheers,
>
> Mark

-- 
Best regards,
Tadeus