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Michael Larabel over at Phoronix brings us news of a stealth Social Justice coup over at FreeDesktop.org:
X.Org, GStreamer, Wayland, LibreOffice, Mesa, VA-API, Harfbuzz, and SPICE are among the many projects hosted by FreeDesktop.org that now appear to be on a contributor covenant / code of conduct.
The Contributor Covenant for those unfamiliar with it is trying to promote a code of conduct for open-source projects that is trying to promote diversity and equality of contributors to libre software projects. From the covenant's website, "Part of this problem [of "free, libre, and open source projects suffer from a startling lack of diversity, with dramatically low representation by women, people of color, and other marginalized populations"] lies with the very structure of some projects: the use of insensitive language, thoughtless use of pronouns, assumptions of gender, and even sexualized or culturally insensitive names."
The covenant states in part that those contributing should use welcoming and inclusive language, be respectful to others, showing empathy towards others, avoid insulting comments, and avoid inappropriate conduct. For the most part, it's basically common sense.
Now it seems this Contributor Covenant is being forced onto all FreeDesktop.org-hosted projects.
(Score: 2) by GungnirSniper on Monday April 10 2017, @11:38AM (4 children)
There's also a startling lack of diversity in documentation, interface design, and other related populations that lies with the very structure of coder-first contribution everywhere.
When are these activists going to complain that in Romance languages a group of 100 women uses the female plural pronoun, but adding 1 male to that group dictates using the male plural pronoun? Is that sexist too?
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(Score: 2) by jmorris on Monday April 10 2017, @04:46PM (1 child)
When are these activists going to complain that in Romance languages a group of 100 women uses the female plural pronoun, but adding 1 male to that group dictates using the male plural pronoun? Is that sexist too?
You are SO behind [current year] dude. Didn't you see where the AP style guide now permits they as a singular pronoun so that both he and she can be eliminated? Only way to solve for fifty and growing gender identities, most of which will be unknown (and often unknowable) to a poor ink stained wretch writing on a deadline.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Grishnakh on Monday April 10 2017, @05:31PM
English isn't a Romance language.
(Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Monday April 10 2017, @06:17PM (1 child)
So instead of "they", a female collective pronoun, I have to use "they", a male collective pronoun as soon as one male enters the crowd?
Interesting point of English grammar. English is my second language, so I'll have to be careful to get it right,
-- hendrik
(Score: 3, Informative) by FatPhil on Tuesday April 11 2017, @09:34AM
To avoid problems like these, everyone should just adopt Finnish as the first language for a collaborative project - as there is formal gender. My g/f and I are a really romantic couple - we got "hänen" and "hänen" pillowcases made for us when we lived in Finland! (I'm sure she keeps stealing mine.)
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