[Bug 568041] replace usage of terms like "master"

Bugzilla Link	568041
Status	NEW
Importance	P3 normal
Reported	Oct 20, 2020 08:38 EDT
Modified	Nov 06, 2020 15:16 EDT

Description

I am not sure about the right channel to place this. It’s not really a bug, but it is an issue that should be discussed and implemented.

Words and concepts influence our thinking and thus create realities. A number of tech companies have therefore started to remove supposedly harmless but racist terms and replace them with better ones.

I personally have always experienced the Eclipse community and the people in it as free of prejudice of any kind. I think that this should also be reflected in the language we use by joining the list of companies and communities [1] that are freeing their code, infrastructure and generally their language from racist terms.

As one step I request to replace the term “master” by “main” or “trunc” as default branch for all repositories that will be created.

Next, I encourage all of you to look out for racially charged terms and to replace them.

I think by doing this we can actively support improving our society.

[1] Here are some of those organizations:
Github: https://www.businessinsider.com/github-replacing-software-code-terms-master-slave-2020-6?r=DE&IR=T\ Linux: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=49decddd39e5f6132ccd7d9fdc3d7c470b0061bb\ Twitter: https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/2/21311330/twitter-engineers-master-slave-github-programming-racism\ Microsoft: https://www.theregister.com/2019/09/03/chromium_microsoft_offensive/\ Google: https://go.googlesource.com/go/+/608cdcaede1e7133dc994b5e8894272c2dce744b