Renaming the FTP Masters
Hi,
I would like to rename the FTP Masters team—ideally via a General Resolution.
Since the murder of George Floyd, the average fate of Black lives has
received much attention. Even the tech sector picked up the
"master/slave" topic over a year ago. [2][3][4]
There should be little controversy. With a high pass rate, we could
all come together as a group—for our shared love of Debian and free
software!
What do you think about the text below, please? Thanks for reading!
Kind regards
Felix Lechner
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_George_Floyd
[2] https://www.wired.com/story/tech-confronts-use-labels-master-slave/
[3] https://www.cnet.com/news/master-and-slave-tech-terms-face-scrutiny-amid-anti-racism-efforts/
[4] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/13/technology/racist-computer-engineering-terms-ietf.html
* * *
PROPOSED TEXT
In recognizance of the awful history of slavery, the Debian project
will rename the "FTP Masters" team. For a long time, the word "master"
has been associated with the grave injustices of slavery. [1]
While there is a tradition in computing to label primary equipment as
a "master" and replicated equipment as "slaves" [2] the use of the
word "masters" for a group of people with special privileges [3]
shocks the conscience.
Within that context, the team's use of the title "wizard" [4] was also
problematic. The Ku Klux Klan and its spinoffs used the title "wizard"
to style high officials. [5] The team will likewise discontinue the
use of the term "wizard" to designate any current or former members.
Nothing in this resolution shall impair the continued use of the
"master/slave" analogy for technical equipment.
"Without a struggle, there can be no progress." (Frederick Douglass)
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_slavery
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master/slave_(technology)
[3] "The FTP masters can do everything in the archive.",
https://wiki.debian.org/Teams/FTPMaster
[4] "The FTP Wizard role consists of former team members",
https://ftp-master.debian.org/
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Wizard
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