this post was submitted on 30 Aug 2026
811 points (98.3% liked)
Programmer Humor
33049 readers
646 users here now
Welcome to Programmer Humor!
This is a place where you can post jokes, memes, humor, etc. related to programming!
For sharing awful code theres also Programming Horror.
Rules
- Keep content in english
- No advertisements
- Posts must be related to programming or programmer topics
founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Don't forget all the master/slave terminology
Tbf, we're trying to get away from that one
Has there been “slave” anywhere for a while? The last time I can think is PATA, which is ancient by now.
It seems like most (all?) uses of “master” these days are in the sense of a “master copy”, which doesn’t really have a “master/slave” dynamic to it.
Yep, gotta work with that on a daily basis because its in the protocol I have to work with.
And I’m so glad, and my boomer coworkers still complain
I don't see the issue but I find Dom/Sub better anyway.
USB-OTG should just have been named USB Power Bottom. That makes USB-Type-C the embodiment of a switch.
Yeah, I've heard. I've always associated the terms with dom/sub play, not slavery.
I get the reasoning as to why, but it seems odd to me that the IT terms were fixated on, but not the engineering terms; "master" and "slave" are still the accepted terms in the context of hydraulic systems, for example.
It's also generally accepted that "retard" and "retarded" are generally acceptable terms when used in an engineering context. If we can accept that some terms are accepted in the a technical context, it seems inconsistent not to apply the same thinking to IT terminology.
Just more stuff to keep us bickering with each other so we don't look up and realize where all the real problems are coming from, imo.
I use main instead of master on git, but what's the substitute to slave? Especially in master/slave setups like you have 1 processor controlling a bunch of measuring equipment for example.
I've seen controller/worker which seems pretty descriptive
Manager/wageslave 😁😌😒
It's not easy.
I think I've seen leader/follower too
primary/replica
Honestly, master/slave sounds so much better. But, well, slavery has been abolished centuries ago in my country, unlike the US
Or the process terminology: "How to kill parent?" "How to spawn child?" "How to terminate zombie child?" Kinda forked if you ask me.
My worst search was "How to kill orphaned child" I didn't even think about how it sounded until I saw it typed out in the search box lol
I think the go-to option is an elaborate death trap that will prove to be easily escapable in the next episode.