Gratuitous profanity in changelog

[Ben Armstrong <synrg@sanctuary.nslug.ns.ca>]

On Sat, Feb 23, 2002 at 08:40:55PM +0000, Lazarus Long wrote:
> http://bugs.debian.org/135368
...
> Ben, you've addressed similar on this list before, how about it?  Anyone
> else?  Is there a suitable means to get this message across to the
> Developers in a manner they will comply with?

Similar but by no means identical.  While I feel that gratuitous profanity
in the changelog shows a lack of professionalism, it is by no means release
critical.  As much as you may be offended by it, I'll go out on a limb and
say a majority of users would not be.

The issue that I dealt with earlier was gratuitous profanity in games
included directly in Debian Jr.  I'm not, nor ever will be, on a crusade
to stamp out profanity in Debian.  If you want to fight that battle,
please don't do it in the name of Debian Jr.

The arcade game issue differed in three important ways:

1. visibility

	A child using a computer with one of the "offensive" games
	on it could not help but trip across it.  Not so with the
	changelog.

2. frequency

	How many times will a child read a given changelog?  But
	a game will be played over and over again.

3. audience

	The game is for the child.  The changelog is for the developers
	to communicate with each other and with those who are interested
	in the technical details.  (I'll allow that this might include
	some children, but I'm willing to bet that by the time my own
	children reach that level of sophistication, shielding them from
	ever seeing curse words will be the least of my concerns.)

Let me close with a comparison to the world of books:

I have in my house a dictionary that contains the word "fuck".  I do not
keep it under lock and key.  In fact, I *encourage* my children to use
this dictionary.  At the tender young age of 7, my middle child may very
well be tempted to take the dictionary and secretly look up the word
"fuck" and laugh at it with his siblings or friends.  What punishment do
you think I should mete out to him for his wickedness?

Ben
-- 
    nSLUG       http://www.nslug.ns.ca      synrg@sanctuary.nslug.ns.ca
    Debian      http://www.debian.org       synrg@debian.org
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