Splunk junks 'hanging' processes and suggests you don't 'hit' a key to fix 'em if more peaceful words can work
(2021/03/01)
- Reference: 1614571092
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/03/01/splunk_unbiased_documentation_guide/
- Source link:
Analytics vendor Splunk has followed up on its [1]2020 decision to stop using the terms “master” and “slave” with a new guide to writing “unbiased documentation”.
Splunk’s [2]guide offers five points to understand if a term “shows unconscious bias or harms a marginalized or underrepresented group”:
[3]
Don't use words that diminish the historical or current situations of others. For example, use "peer" instead of "slave".
Don't use words that place a positive or negative connotation on color, race, or people. For example, write "deny list" instead of "blacklist".
Don't use words that imply otherness or that exclude a group. For example, use "built-in" instead of "native".
Don't use words that harm, degrade, or insult anyone or any group, whether it be mental, physical, sexual, functional, or criminal. For example, use "placeholder data" instead of "dummy data".
Don't use words that imply elitism or a position of power. For example, say "primary" instead of "master".
The guide also offers a list of alternatives to biased language. Among the entries The Register has not spotted on other lists are:
[4]
Biased word or phrase
Use this language instead
Type of bias
Abnormal
Atypical, not typical
Ableist, disparaging
Dummy data
Placeholder data
Disparaging
First-class entity
Top-level entity
Divisive
Grandfathered
Exempt
Gendered language, racist
Hangs
Stops responding, freezes
Insensitive, violent
Hit
Click, enter, tap
Violent
Illegal characters
Special characters
Disparaging
Native
Built-in, fluent
Divisive, disparaging
Suicide mode
Time until restart
Insensitive
Splunk is far from alone in seeking to change the language it uses in its documentation. In responses to 2020’s Black Lives Matter protests, [5]GitHub , [6]OpenZFS , and [7]Apple all made changes, the latter even warning that some APIs could behave differently because of its changes.
VMware to stop describing hardware as ‘male’ and ‘female’ in new terminology guide [8]READ MORE
The Linux Foundation, Cisco, Red Hat, IBM, and others eventually joined a new [9]Inclusive Naming Initiative that has in recent days started to establish working groups.
[10]
The Register has viewed meeting invitations to the Initiative’s get-togethers. Most take place at times that will work in North America and Europe but are often deep into the evening in Asia – the home of two thirds of humanity, including India which has the world’s second-highest national population of English speakers. ®
Get our [11]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.splunk.com/en_us/blog/leadership/biased-language-has-no-place-in-tech.html
[2] https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/StyleGuide/current/StyleGuide/Inclusivity
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YDx06K4TUnXvIjJukbD9FgAAAM4&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YDx06K4TUnXvIjJukbD9FgAAAM4&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2020/06/15/github_replaces_master_with_main/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2020/06/12/openzfs_terminology_change/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2020/07/17/apple_inclusive_style_guide/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2020/07/23/vmware_offensive_terminology_style_guide/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2020/11/19/inclusive_naming_initiative/
[10] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YDx06K4TUnXvIjJukbD9FgAAAM4&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[11] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Splunk’s [2]guide offers five points to understand if a term “shows unconscious bias or harms a marginalized or underrepresented group”:
[3]
Don't use words that diminish the historical or current situations of others. For example, use "peer" instead of "slave".
Don't use words that place a positive or negative connotation on color, race, or people. For example, write "deny list" instead of "blacklist".
Don't use words that imply otherness or that exclude a group. For example, use "built-in" instead of "native".
Don't use words that harm, degrade, or insult anyone or any group, whether it be mental, physical, sexual, functional, or criminal. For example, use "placeholder data" instead of "dummy data".
Don't use words that imply elitism or a position of power. For example, say "primary" instead of "master".
The guide also offers a list of alternatives to biased language. Among the entries The Register has not spotted on other lists are:
[4]
Biased word or phrase
Use this language instead
Type of bias
Abnormal
Atypical, not typical
Ableist, disparaging
Dummy data
Placeholder data
Disparaging
First-class entity
Top-level entity
Divisive
Grandfathered
Exempt
Gendered language, racist
Hangs
Stops responding, freezes
Insensitive, violent
Hit
Click, enter, tap
Violent
Illegal characters
Special characters
Disparaging
Native
Built-in, fluent
Divisive, disparaging
Suicide mode
Time until restart
Insensitive
Splunk is far from alone in seeking to change the language it uses in its documentation. In responses to 2020’s Black Lives Matter protests, [5]GitHub , [6]OpenZFS , and [7]Apple all made changes, the latter even warning that some APIs could behave differently because of its changes.
VMware to stop describing hardware as ‘male’ and ‘female’ in new terminology guide [8]READ MORE
The Linux Foundation, Cisco, Red Hat, IBM, and others eventually joined a new [9]Inclusive Naming Initiative that has in recent days started to establish working groups.
[10]
The Register has viewed meeting invitations to the Initiative’s get-togethers. Most take place at times that will work in North America and Europe but are often deep into the evening in Asia – the home of two thirds of humanity, including India which has the world’s second-highest national population of English speakers. ®
Get our [11]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.splunk.com/en_us/blog/leadership/biased-language-has-no-place-in-tech.html
[2] https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/StyleGuide/current/StyleGuide/Inclusivity
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YDx06K4TUnXvIjJukbD9FgAAAM4&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YDx06K4TUnXvIjJukbD9FgAAAM4&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2020/06/15/github_replaces_master_with_main/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2020/06/12/openzfs_terminology_change/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2020/07/17/apple_inclusive_style_guide/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2020/07/23/vmware_offensive_terminology_style_guide/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2020/11/19/inclusive_naming_initiative/
[10] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YDx06K4TUnXvIjJukbD9FgAAAM4&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[11] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Number6
When it comes to typing, they're clearly not old enough to remember typewriters, nor allow for those who used them because we do tend to hit the keys. I'm not sure that "peer" is an alternative to "slave" either, peers are equals, whereas when you have an architecture where one unit is controlling others, the others could be minions, subordinates or secondaries.
They missed kicking the watchdog though, when the nicer term is to pat the dog.
All us HW types will have to think up some creative alternative meanings for MISO and MOSI, found on a lot of SPI documentation.
These changes are plusplusgood.