[llvm-dev] Inclusive language in LLVM: can we rename `master` branch?

[Justin Hibbits via llvm-dev]

On Fri, 19 Jun 2020 14:46:19 +0000
"Keane, Erich via llvm-dev" <llvm-dev at lists.llvm.org> wrote:

> If the name of our branch causes anxiety/difficulty for a significant
> portion of our population, it is literally the least we can do to
> choose a word that better respects the last few centuries of world
> history.

Honestly, if the name of a branch causes anxiety/difficulty, that's an
issue on that population.  It has absolutely no relation to the dark
history of the world, none at all.  Anyone who casts it in such a light
is either signalling or trolling.

I won't stop any kind of rename, but renames have to be done for a
technical merit, not a political correctness merit, or it has no value
at all.  If renaming the branch to 'main' or 'trunk' makes it easier
for people to reason about the branch setup then fine.  But if it's "to
address a past wrong that has absolutely no relation to the project"
it needs to be rethought.  And I'll go so far as to say that this
frivolous renaming occurring across the board is doing more harm than
good in the name of 'respecting the last few centuries', as it forces
people to highlight that aspect of history, and not move on as a
society.

A master branch is the source of truth.  It's where development
branches branch from, and where they inevitably merge back into.